tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61564963465988414502024-03-13T14:54:37.098-05:00Sandcastle MommaAdventures in beautiful Northwest Florida...Sandcastle Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11909850898687059507noreply@blogger.comBlogger1348125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6156496346598841450.post-16088109150376432842018-04-20T22:12:00.000-05:002018-06-13T04:35:48.910-05:00Isaac Update - Sunday NightAs of 11pm Sunday night, Destin is still under a hurricane warning even though the latest projected path sends Isaac into New Orleans.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghh9LTBQ0UcpZkbLDqmv_x6WcVFrXeCbK6t_PJo7kStLrgtE9hhZjhZ4ktC6hUMjuxF-UuNXLPu54BfSWVJpOImQNPtkheH7ksIMTebFlXE4yt92Nw_W6m1sa6xjz1YxYSEPprh-IEKaQ/s1600/map6.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5781230509849380498" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghh9LTBQ0UcpZkbLDqmv_x6WcVFrXeCbK6t_PJo7kStLrgtE9hhZjhZ4ktC6hUMjuxF-UuNXLPu54BfSWVJpOImQNPtkheH7ksIMTebFlXE4yt92Nw_W6m1sa6xjz1YxYSEPprh-IEKaQ/s400/map6.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 391px;" /></a><br />
Isaac is still so far away that it's impossible to know where he's going yet but after <a href="http://sandcastlemomma.blogspot.com/2012/08/isaac-turns.html">my family's Banana Ceremony</a> I'm confident the worst of the storm will stay far to the west of us. <br />
<br />
Not that I would wish any hurricane on anyone - I'm just wishing for it not to come roaring down my street. <br />
<br />
Time will tell. Sandcastle Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11909850898687059507noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6156496346598841450.post-61345041974277524202018-02-26T20:51:00.001-06:002018-06-14T00:10:29.209-05:00Rat<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">The Island King has a cat
named Rat.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">He named her that because
she is SO small. She's not much bigger than a kitten. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">According to the vet she's
perfectly healthy – she's just a miniature cat. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">But the name Rat fits her
in other ways as well. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">She doesn't like anyone
but the Island King. She scratches everything except her scratching
post. She pushes more stuff off my shelves than all of my other cats
combined. AND all 4 of my other cats despise her. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">The Island King can't
understand why they all try to beat her up but I'm pretty sure it's
because she hisses and swipes at them - starting the fight. I've seen
it happen many times but he still says “It's can't be Rat, she's so
sweet.”</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Hmmmh.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">A couple of weeks ago I
walked past our fish tank and noticed a small puddle of water on the
floor in front of the tank. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">I cleaned up the pudlle
and then examined every inch of the tank, determined it's not leaking
and shrugged off the small puddle. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">A few days went by and it
happened again. The tank still wasn't leaking so again I wiped up the
puddle and went about my day. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">The next day I was feeding
the fish and noticed that two were missing. I thought they died so I
searched the tank for their bodies but couldn't find them. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">I know the other fish
didn't eat them but I don't know what happened to their little
bodies. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Another couple of days
went by and I was feeding the fish when I realized there were no
fish. Not one. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">I searched everywhere for
their bodies but they weren't there. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">The tank was empty.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">As I'm standing there
wondering what happened to my fish the Oldes Island Boy walked by and
asked if the tank is leaking because he's been cleaning up small
puddles of water for the past few days. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">What is going on?</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">That night I came around
the corner and saw this. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPWcZDasWvicPKlyEUznzn9BV3YE6iwUaj7zMyzKEVA8Zg4eVKAgUETU-bj-JfZP0fayWSbKYtpXZRGl6ZTka9E_HSzML7kEPyAAGOKjtCw1qZD5VjPubAyaHhhwYBUw8M3MshdSY2xMI/s1600/IMG_4434.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPWcZDasWvicPKlyEUznzn9BV3YE6iwUaj7zMyzKEVA8Zg4eVKAgUETU-bj-JfZP0fayWSbKYtpXZRGl6ZTka9E_HSzML7kEPyAAGOKjtCw1qZD5VjPubAyaHhhwYBUw8M3MshdSY2xMI/s400/IMG_4434.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNTiVVCrsciEnjO_ocLBuUzaFBRtWJ5q09pX4LevfoEujFCeSyFwg_49wVBBSFokdtwhhuvFPYkZg5VmQfwSVKfAXHDCcW7X3gdsm0b4D5drZZkKPYyFRQXHEOeZlrE-w4EkSK8_ZOFVI/s1600/IMG_4441.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNTiVVCrsciEnjO_ocLBuUzaFBRtWJ5q09pX4LevfoEujFCeSyFwg_49wVBBSFokdtwhhuvFPYkZg5VmQfwSVKfAXHDCcW7X3gdsm0b4D5drZZkKPYyFRQXHEOeZlrE-w4EkSK8_ZOFVI/s400/IMG_4441.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">And it hit me.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">The Rat has figured out
how to open the lid on the tank and has EATEN my fish. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Which explains the
mysterious puddles. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">I have had many cats for
years and none of them have ever done that. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">I am definitely a cat lady
but this particular cat is on my last nerve. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Rat is an extremely
appropriate name for her. </span>
</div>
<br />Sandcastle Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11909850898687059507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6156496346598841450.post-75251205389843324452018-01-24T14:45:00.000-06:002018-05-29T11:03:06.480-05:00Cows<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">For years we've been
teasing the Island King about being scared of large animals. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">He denies it but...</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">He's always had to “work”
if we went horseback riding. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Swimming with the manatee?
While all of us were in the water he claimed “someone needs to stay
in the boat.”</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Swimming with dolphin?
Again, “someone needs to stay in the boat.”</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">The donkey at Tower Camp?
“Don't get too close to the fence – he might bite.”</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Well, the other day he had
a photo shoot in Ponce de Leon and I decided to ride up with him so
we could explore some after his shoot. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">The first thing we saw
when we left the shoot was a pasture full of cows. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Or maybe they were bulls?
Steers? I don't know. They had horns but I understand that doesn't
necessarily mean they're males. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Anyway – cows. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">I love cows!</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">So we stopped and got out
to take some pictures. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">As soon as I walked up to
the fence they came running from all across the pasture. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibY5Cm0SbfidBnxhTRT6z3EQey0YO9waIEZDrZxgcdyhrc7cDlq0WIXUvkb8N8V8Ros3jTPArh5-UhRmpaTRW_4JfbLTG0wf6fVFRPDujI075nmOnxTA7FtTuZmVVedZSBGwL8YkS-b14/s1600/IMG_4457.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibY5Cm0SbfidBnxhTRT6z3EQey0YO9waIEZDrZxgcdyhrc7cDlq0WIXUvkb8N8V8Ros3jTPArh5-UhRmpaTRW_4JfbLTG0wf6fVFRPDujI075nmOnxTA7FtTuZmVVedZSBGwL8YkS-b14/s400/IMG_4457.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXFqGYYKcT9nzjZ4fT1tg7xg-SZ_TDC6MQjxXcYYX_WNJ3aJEOWLcdxKDYer-eUl_RB4p9Vxlu4ZPG2pIGk_7forue3l_WFg1GBj6zTXGgsuRUl962okUef-A4nb-52CuefXXaE9hmS_k/s1600/IMG_4458.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXFqGYYKcT9nzjZ4fT1tg7xg-SZ_TDC6MQjxXcYYX_WNJ3aJEOWLcdxKDYer-eUl_RB4p9Vxlu4ZPG2pIGk_7forue3l_WFg1GBj6zTXGgsuRUl962okUef-A4nb-52CuefXXaE9hmS_k/s400/IMG_4458.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">The Island King stepped
back and didn't have much to say while I was taking pictures. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">They came up close to the
fence but wouldn't come right up to it so I stuck my hand over the
fence to try and get one to come up so I could pet it. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">The Island King grabbed my
arm and yanked me back away from the fence and said “Stop that!”
This fence won't hold them in there if they decide to plow through it
and get you!”</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">What? I seriously don't
think they're planning to storm the fence and "get me."</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Well, this one might
because it had been giving me some serious stink eye while I was
standing there but the rest seemed quite happy to see me. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIo8vEZjC-RnxJrXU2ylm33D-Khcze20LWbpTeek2y2WEP7MZKxUrdhk1bY5SAfcV0f_CdnwW3PMsacmABKUSm18oNDkfY33HJPROYJLUQ6Wt7_rCWQoBGAk2kSmX8PK9Fku6BUmuIOO4/s1600/IMG_4456.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIo8vEZjC-RnxJrXU2ylm33D-Khcze20LWbpTeek2y2WEP7MZKxUrdhk1bY5SAfcV0f_CdnwW3PMsacmABKUSm18oNDkfY33HJPROYJLUQ6Wt7_rCWQoBGAk2kSmX8PK9Fku6BUmuIOO4/s400/IMG_4456.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">I was laughing but he was
dead serious and said “I'm telling you that fence won't hold them
if they decide they want out. It's just a suggestion for where they
should stay.”</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">I agree they could have
stormed the fence if they really wanted to but I think they just
wondered where their hay was. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">But he was so serious and
I didn't want him to have a heart attack so I stepped back and didn't
pet the cows. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">When we got home I was
telling the kids about it and they cracked up because they know his
history with large animals. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">He got a little indignant
and said “Listen those cows could have broken through the fence and
stampeded your mother to death! AND after her funeral I'd have to buy
the farmer a new fence.”</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">We were laughing so hard
and he turned around, opened the freezer and pulled out steaks to
cook. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">His last words on the
subject were “Beef – it's what's for dinner.”</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">He can deny it all he
wants but we know the truth. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">My big, bad, husband is
scared of cows!</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7bZhhLYhP1g" width="560"></iframe></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
Sandcastle Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11909850898687059507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6156496346598841450.post-7293146144376434112018-01-08T08:00:00.000-06:002018-06-13T23:44:50.997-05:00Pulled Over<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">I ran up to the Circle K
last night to grab some milk and learned all about bicycle rules
while I was there. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">I was standing at the
counter when this man walks in. Normal looking guy who can't wait to
tell us his story. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">He says they needed cat
food and his wife convinced him to ride his bike to the store because
he “needs the exercise.”</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">It was dark out and he
didn't want to ride in the road so he was riding on the sidewalk. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">A police car came up
behind him and turned their blue lights on. The guy said he was
looking around trying to figure out who was being pulled over when
the deputy pulled up even with him, flashed his big light on him, got
on the loudspeaker and told the guy to pull over.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">The man said “So I put
my kickstand down...” </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Which sent me and everyone
else in the store into hysterical laughter.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">It turns out he was being
“pulled over” because he didn't have a tail light on his bike.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">He said he showed the
deputy the reflector on the back of the bike but the deputy told him
that you have to have an actual light in order to ride your bike at
night. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">He tells us the deputy
gave him a warning, told him to get on to the store and then back
home and not to ride his bike after dark again until he gets a tail
light. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">The Island King has always
put front and back lights on our kid's bikes but to be honest I
thought it was just so they'd be safe. I had no idea that the days of
having a reflector have gone the way of standing on the front seat
of the car next to Mom and that it's actually illegal to not have
lights. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Which is a good thing but
I still think getting “pulled over” on a bike is funny. </span>
</div>
Sandcastle Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11909850898687059507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6156496346598841450.post-71137910177667923942018-01-06T08:00:00.000-06:002018-05-29T11:03:23.579-05:00Pensacola's Graffiti Bridge Art<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">My sister sent me a text
before Christmas asking which was my favorite – a dolphin,
mermaid's tail, sea horse or manatee. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">I immediately answered
dolphin.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">A few minutes later she
sent another text telling me to pick another one. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Ok. It was a toss up
between a manatee and a seahorse but I went with the seahorse. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Time went by and I forgot
all about it but then on Christmas my sister handed me a gift. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">She sat down and said “I
need to explain what it is when you open it.”</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">That comment made me a
little nervous so I cautiously opened the box and was pleasantly
surprised to find this. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL2bYakyRv9k5BRWZboJaYcf_0C90AaEy3GT7M-6DwSs1Ukv1bzqj2NBj9jZK7hLnVlhQkQ-Y_RPz6cA7EPAt3-_RM0NQH68eQ7NxJaneo45wqUKerOVZvKoJ_z4Xa4Q8zkr2wwqf1ie4/s1600/IMG_4414.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL2bYakyRv9k5BRWZboJaYcf_0C90AaEy3GT7M-6DwSs1Ukv1bzqj2NBj9jZK7hLnVlhQkQ-Y_RPz6cA7EPAt3-_RM0NQH68eQ7NxJaneo45wqUKerOVZvKoJ_z4Xa4Q8zkr2wwqf1ie4/s400/IMG_4414.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">An absolutely gorgeous
seahorse necklace. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Before I could ask what
needed explaining she told me that this necklace is made from paint
chips off the <a href="https://thegraffitibridge.com/pages/about-us" target="_blank">Graffiti Bridge</a>. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">She found a group of artists in Pensacola and what they do is collect paint chips
from the bridge and then through a process they turn the paint chips
into incredible jewelry.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Once the art is made the artists sell them in different shops around town. This one came from <a href="https://angelsgardengifts.com/" target="_blank">Angel's Garden. </a></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">My sister said that when
she sent me the text asking what sea creature I liked she didn't
realize they were out of dolphins. Luckily they did have a seahorse.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">I am so in love with this
necklace. Not only is it beautiful but it's made from small pieces of
Pensacola's history. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Thank you so much KD – I
love it!!!</span></div>
Sandcastle Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11909850898687059507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6156496346598841450.post-51375098502527480312018-01-05T08:00:00.000-06:002018-06-13T23:45:31.940-05:00The Day After Christmas<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Because my sister and her
family spent Christmas Eve in New Orleans she wanted to do a family
Christmas at her house the day after Christmas. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">The Youngest had to work,
again, and the Island King had a photo shoot that morning so as soon
as he got back from his shoot we loaded the car and drove to Perdido
Key. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAaiUGwMMJ_zdTwYIdcKP1YEkHczHfPZUp_YqJoElYpvuKkk2w3uLTFNx8Cu2PK4W361IQoiipMMWZ4w-hmzadjQ7B-H17Z1H8AE4Yy63NfPZIESrLjUbZY7gWWGNCkMCCfLiDczna7K0/s1600/IMG_4399_v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAaiUGwMMJ_zdTwYIdcKP1YEkHczHfPZUp_YqJoElYpvuKkk2w3uLTFNx8Cu2PK4W361IQoiipMMWZ4w-hmzadjQ7B-H17Z1H8AE4Yy63NfPZIESrLjUbZY7gWWGNCkMCCfLiDczna7K0/s400/IMG_4399_v1.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE4gwP4gyKpHLrW4n-5zd2im169YgEdaWFhubNqkJEWwyePGJ-mpn_Xztvpt9p-6bJ0EitGTfp086cntQTVZQc4K0b94jJ10L85tCP7VQTTBv3IM8BXzu6CqoDUuldM3IFysrSIyyXbd4/s1600/IMG_4383_v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE4gwP4gyKpHLrW4n-5zd2im169YgEdaWFhubNqkJEWwyePGJ-mpn_Xztvpt9p-6bJ0EitGTfp086cntQTVZQc4K0b94jJ10L85tCP7VQTTBv3IM8BXzu6CqoDUuldM3IFysrSIyyXbd4/s400/IMG_4383_v1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">My parents, Aunt and Uncle
and lots of extended family were there and even though my sister
looked exhausted we had a really good time. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">My BIL smoked a prime rib
and my Dad brought a turkey so we had another delicious dinner.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">After dinner my sister and
I were sitting at the table and when it was time to open presents my
Aunt brought us matching boxes. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">We opened them to find
this. </span>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirOCVPvH_l2ECK2LMWNgCoRqvMDscEecHW0VWQGUqwgqFjD1QmtnCJS4kQYeiVREvW12trnVux8rZ5e1LwxB69-d9lr_iJeP0HzLxTZrw9GwvjogTrVymG-NMKsqmoYLaofHhc1cB9yqE/s1600/IMG_4398_v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirOCVPvH_l2ECK2LMWNgCoRqvMDscEecHW0VWQGUqwgqFjD1QmtnCJS4kQYeiVREvW12trnVux8rZ5e1LwxB69-d9lr_iJeP0HzLxTZrw9GwvjogTrVymG-NMKsqmoYLaofHhc1cB9yqE/s400/IMG_4398_v1.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Hmm. So my sister gets
alcohol and I get lotion. Does that mean she's a drunk and I'm scaly?
A few minutes later my Aunt handed me another box that looked just
like the first one and I was sure there was rum in there. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Just as I started to open
it she grabbed it and said “I messed up – this one is for your
sister”</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">My name was written
clearly on the tag but she insisted that was a mistake. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">So my sister opened the
present and it contained a bottle of lotion like the one I got. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Which gave us both a good
laugh because she's a drunk AND she's scaly. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">The Oldest Island Boy said
later that watching me and my sister sitting there whispering and
laughing made him laugh because even though he couldn't hear what we
were saying he's sure we were making inappropriate remarks. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">I will neither confirm nor
deny that but I can tell you that no one makes me laugh as hard as my
sister does. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">He wanted to know what we
were talking about but I told him that I can't say because not
everyone has the same sense of humor that we do. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Which prompted the Island
Girl to tell me that I should pull a Jackie O move and write a book
which is not to be released until I'm dead. That way my kids can
enjoy mine and my sister's humor without me having to worry about
making anyone mad. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">It's not a bad idea
because there are some stories that my mother would KILL me for
repeating but that are absolutely hilarious. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">My sister and her family
were tired from their trip and my BIL had to be at work early the
next morning so everyone packed up and left pretty early. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">But, just as everyone was
getting ready to leave my Mom decided she wanted a boatload of
pictures of everyone in front of the tree. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">We were wrangling kids and
people were trying to load their cars so it was extremely chaotic. At
one point I was posing for a picture with Mom and my sister and I was
laughing at the chaos and said under my breath that I was having
trouble maintaining with all of the hullabaloo. My Mom asked what I'd
just said and my BIL's sister said “She says she needs drugs!”
and then snapped the picture. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">The look on Mom's face cracks me up because it's a combination of a “smile for the camera” and “is she serious?”</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">We may have been in the
car longer than we were at her house but I can tell you it was worth
every minute of it.</span></div>
Sandcastle Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11909850898687059507noreply@blogger.com0608 Clubhouse Terrace, Pensacola, FL 32507, USA30.308246189206272 -87.4314370730468830.198574189206273 -87.592798573046878 30.417918189206272 -87.270075573046881tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6156496346598841450.post-27438021382101856882018-01-04T08:00:00.000-06:002018-05-29T11:04:35.890-05:00Christmas Day<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">We woke up Christmas
Morning and headed over to my MIL's house to spend the day with her
and my BIL's family. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">My BIL smoked a pork butt
and we had a good old fashioned BBQ dinner. Which was delicious. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Everyone opened their
presents and after we ate my MIL made an announcement. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">She's got a GIANT piggy
bank that she has been putting her change in for 19 years and she
decided it was time to empty the bank. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">She called the grandkids
to the dining room table and told them that anyone who sat and
counted it could have it. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1TLZcC9uOk_82AdDm3MbWO5u8ScevvdaEOsvPsFDnAWtjp5PPH47LbnJL47O9dJ9IhMxOFLREuy6E6eyQ6HZssHZ5onTZrp6yDmUyfEYAVSBRVKOSOtIyQfx3USphV-cgJNpBtt24ezQ/s1600/IMG_4377_v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1TLZcC9uOk_82AdDm3MbWO5u8ScevvdaEOsvPsFDnAWtjp5PPH47LbnJL47O9dJ9IhMxOFLREuy6E6eyQ6HZssHZ5onTZrp6yDmUyfEYAVSBRVKOSOtIyQfx3USphV-cgJNpBtt24ezQ/s400/IMG_4377_v1.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">The Youngest Island Boy
had to work so he wasn't there and his brother and sister both agreed
to count his share for him. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">My niece, KW, also jumped
up and took a seat at the table to claim her share. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFiPMT3YdOm7LaxSpiOZMz5c5J1Fbu3K5a70O-jP_Lfqcg87lnrM2ysCJ4n7BFQASUREFO2oUWFvCg1H8D3ykjQmlBwAR1WWOJ8hpVuH6oWlwzWM_DP9_U9oON7KPkf1VrAvFA98X2V4M/s1600/P1010878_v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1202" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFiPMT3YdOm7LaxSpiOZMz5c5J1Fbu3K5a70O-jP_Lfqcg87lnrM2ysCJ4n7BFQASUREFO2oUWFvCg1H8D3ykjQmlBwAR1WWOJ8hpVuH6oWlwzWM_DP9_U9oON7KPkf1VrAvFA98X2V4M/s400/P1010878_v1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">My other niece and my
nephew showed no interest at all which actually made the Oldest
Island Boy, the Island Girl and KW very happy because that meant a
four way split instead of splitting it six ways. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Mounds and mounds of
change poured onto the table and while the kids were counting it my
MIL asked if this was better than letting them <a href="http://sandcastlemomma.blogspot.com/2013/03/the-oddest-christmas-eve-ever.html" target="_blank">smash a GingerbreadHouse</a>. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Yes, this was MUCH less
disturbing – and fun to watch. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">It took almost two hours
for them to count all of the change and I swear I've never seen them
concentrate on something so hard. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlFYEflb3O8l8ZUHEnfK5IzPPVdh6RFJkqW7_QL8ak7JvnUNpvGmrEEuH-yzn1EXNw6Y_khwcQuoHs3Y4MZJB1FfSgXTn5inaPXbUq2hYWtnw9F-qJ0qnPnIFNSGm7tbPr7md4d3BilX4/s1600/IMG_4378_v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlFYEflb3O8l8ZUHEnfK5IzPPVdh6RFJkqW7_QL8ak7JvnUNpvGmrEEuH-yzn1EXNw6Y_khwcQuoHs3Y4MZJB1FfSgXTn5inaPXbUq2hYWtnw9F-qJ0qnPnIFNSGm7tbPr7md4d3BilX4/s400/IMG_4378_v1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRgfxpm2oEi0qoxq8qHHjngc10uN5BOB9BxNo-1cjdNPxXhvYdh6TQD83_IxXwZXL48YtlnrGCFJzGoaqkIUgOhs_J-zAnWX8PqhYhX_Gn6Iae_FJz3jfkdBsum_ENqNsWWU8PKueft3o/s1600/P1010879_v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1202" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRgfxpm2oEi0qoxq8qHHjngc10uN5BOB9BxNo-1cjdNPxXhvYdh6TQD83_IxXwZXL48YtlnrGCFJzGoaqkIUgOhs_J-zAnWX8PqhYhX_Gn6Iae_FJz3jfkdBsum_ENqNsWWU8PKueft3o/s400/P1010879_v1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">In the end, there was
almost $600 dollars in change – which meant each kid got about
$150. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Later that night, when the
Youngest got home from work we handed him the presents from that day
and after he finished unwrapping them the Oldest told him there was
one more surprise. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">He went to his room and
came back carrying the Youngest's bag of change. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">The look on the Youngest's
face was priceless. $150 dollars in change takes up an entire large
Ziploc bag and weighs a ton so when the Oldest dropped it in his lap
I thought the Youngest was going to fall over. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">He was sorry he had to
work on Christmas Day but seeing that bag of money made him really
happy. </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Sadly, my back was hurting so I didn't take many pictures but we really had a wonderful day. </span></div>
Sandcastle Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11909850898687059507noreply@blogger.com0Destin, FL 32541, USA30.3935337 -86.49578329999997130.2839672 -86.657144799999969 30.5031002 -86.334421799999973tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6156496346598841450.post-65141143035407225642018-01-03T08:00:00.000-06:002018-06-17T02:28:40.333-05:00Christmas Eve<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">My sister and her family
went to New Orleans for Christmas Eve so we planned to have Christmas
at her house on the day after Christmas. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">I got to thinking about
Christmas Eve and decided it's been years since we spent the holiday
with just my parents so I suggested they come over and spend the day
with us. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">I haven't hosted a holiday
since the <a href="http://sandcastlemomma.blogspot.com/2014/11/thanksgiving-gone-awry.html" target="_blank">Thanksgiving we ate dessert first </a>and I forgot how much
work hosting involves. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">The kids got busy getting
the house clean, I cooked a major traditional meal and the Island
King was in charge of making sure I didn't stress out – which is
actually the hardest job of all. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">I don't know why I was
stressed. Only my parents were coming and they don't judge me so if
the house wasn't perfect or the meal didn't turn out like I wanted it
to they wouldn't care. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Luckily, Christmas Eve
morning came and I realized that the only thing that mattered was us
spending time together and that if the meal wasn't good or the dog
dragged the table cloth off the table it would be ok. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">And it was. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">They came over around
noon, the Island King finished up in the kitchen while Dad and I
watched the Saints game and Mom and the kids visited. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisd6igJSYmMVoOCHO-LvHLoC4iKmCttQhSxxjj8ZYU1MWi0qHScTrM8cepFiiqOa5PR3kjdor3B0hVhnMEcTvuUuhnETUATdxo9Dubq9tZ_d6zVbYFfayAiD8ssO9mQInTMFEfG1c3sWs/s1600/P1010836_v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1202" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisd6igJSYmMVoOCHO-LvHLoC4iKmCttQhSxxjj8ZYU1MWi0qHScTrM8cepFiiqOa5PR3kjdor3B0hVhnMEcTvuUuhnETUATdxo9Dubq9tZ_d6zVbYFfayAiD8ssO9mQInTMFEfG1c3sWs/s200/P1010836_v1.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">My sister was actually in
the Superdome watching the game and since we had to pause the game
several times, Dad sent her a text telling her not to send any texts
or pictures until he called her so that we'd have no spoilers.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">We opened presents and my
Mom got a nerf gun. My Dad is a bear poker so I decided she needs a
nerf gun to shoot him with. She thought it was great - him not so
much. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTdYDhGYUUB1ZyTht38q71fyBDeJRUGkNHvyqi00iidEN3q7LpwTllTE3eTUBVrh-DpVqTL4SfpMXcjQhUC0LK2TAAnaVnr1EnfuI8w3OuaZG8mt72npkhlJtn8okdxKxFSs7ewUCyERY/s1600/P1010854_v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1202" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTdYDhGYUUB1ZyTht38q71fyBDeJRUGkNHvyqi00iidEN3q7LpwTllTE3eTUBVrh-DpVqTL4SfpMXcjQhUC0LK2TAAnaVnr1EnfuI8w3OuaZG8mt72npkhlJtn8okdxKxFSs7ewUCyERY/s200/P1010854_v1.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">I don't know why but the
Youngest Island Boy wanted tye-dyed clothes so that's what he got. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_d8q45D8ryCRFXtqmM9YVooSxOufAnHYQVlNOYebLVh04-fSoT1O2JgdhWC37PmmFuAnx5i-lBRWwadbPvDXGEvAvN3j0s-gKZ6OsT1QOc9MG0W5GtsAq7Mcrte6WlT-QRji31w_aMQY/s1600/IMG_4350_v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_d8q45D8ryCRFXtqmM9YVooSxOufAnHYQVlNOYebLVh04-fSoT1O2JgdhWC37PmmFuAnx5i-lBRWwadbPvDXGEvAvN3j0s-gKZ6OsT1QOc9MG0W5GtsAq7Mcrte6WlT-QRji31w_aMQY/s200/IMG_4350_v1.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj3HnQmOTigoWxyycd7HVJpc54Nm-YSrSpg0M5jQ2z__qb6Mqj2gtu3YPHWFGwFPX_G2RBJXP22_NlrZ1Et0VC9hVhE_m6wirv5fnDjlwPRvXGcqxkUBq9AnYdgCjlElpNj1Rts2ISdvo/s1600/IMG_4355_v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj3HnQmOTigoWxyycd7HVJpc54Nm-YSrSpg0M5jQ2z__qb6Mqj2gtu3YPHWFGwFPX_G2RBJXP22_NlrZ1Et0VC9hVhE_m6wirv5fnDjlwPRvXGcqxkUBq9AnYdgCjlElpNj1Rts2ISdvo/s200/IMG_4355_v1.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">We teased him a little and
he could care less. He likes them. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">The Oldest stayed with his
usual non flashy but cool clothing. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpF5JWTqtSVWpT-Dpyr6qDLEMQ1IJnZ-pUtQPCPacxBmFOh7-UhrD3Yl0767JD3E4ljV7Ri_HHdYmo0U4OlUY-E5YDXAE92szmNM4l794Xm5FAHMS3Ximql_9ubMLb_5cjQiVgklh31pg/s1600/IMG_4359_v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpF5JWTqtSVWpT-Dpyr6qDLEMQ1IJnZ-pUtQPCPacxBmFOh7-UhrD3Yl0767JD3E4ljV7Ri_HHdYmo0U4OlUY-E5YDXAE92szmNM4l794Xm5FAHMS3Ximql_9ubMLb_5cjQiVgklh31pg/s200/IMG_4359_v1.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">And everything makes the
Island Girl happy. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6P6xltEL147ij4C-t1rZWagIUbcNTe6AtNtVTX67HA8GY3VAxDZclNuSqxgaeflpmGOuvHbxWE9X8Y38GH0QqQebmQ3p9avuXnpM1w0N_qKiw0xbKjnCQoF4fFBfg242shaw6D3a9MZA/s1600/IMG_4366_v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6P6xltEL147ij4C-t1rZWagIUbcNTe6AtNtVTX67HA8GY3VAxDZclNuSqxgaeflpmGOuvHbxWE9X8Y38GH0QqQebmQ3p9avuXnpM1w0N_qKiw0xbKjnCQoF4fFBfg242shaw6D3a9MZA/s200/IMG_4366_v1.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">The day was wonderful, the
food was good and the Saints won the game. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizPk1OEZ9M088pBkntTiutR__koAISFnnAb6QoyejrwMtfh3jcHGchSCq1hQWtc2Jx4T8R7CKFYsyoEMmygEmDx8bTo37ZP0ZIP1vuNtG1qE4uVk1zlPS_mkyCOme6gJqN2b8dC8V9C2c/s1600/P1010847_v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1202" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizPk1OEZ9M088pBkntTiutR__koAISFnnAb6QoyejrwMtfh3jcHGchSCq1hQWtc2Jx4T8R7CKFYsyoEMmygEmDx8bTo37ZP0ZIP1vuNtG1qE4uVk1zlPS_mkyCOme6gJqN2b8dC8V9C2c/s200/P1010847_v1.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">We are truly blessed. </span></div>
Sandcastle Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11909850898687059507noreply@blogger.com0Destin, FL 32541, USA30.3935337 -86.49578329999997130.2839672 -86.657144799999969 30.5031002 -86.334421799999973tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6156496346598841450.post-65598445911656134822017-12-17T13:07:00.000-06:002018-06-12T23:40:54.523-05:00The Christmas VillageMany years ago I painted ceramics. There was a great shop not far from me and I spent hours there, creating all kinds of stuff.<br />
<br />
My most favorite thing is the Christmas Village I made in 1985.<br />
<br />
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<br />
I've put it out every Christmas since and once I had children it became the centerpiece of our Christmas decorations.<br />
<br />
The Island Girl would sit for hours and move the little people around, playing “Christmas Village.” It was so sweet watching her take them shopping and caroling.<br />
<br />
Right about the time she grew out of playing with it, the Oldest Island Boy came along and was just as fascinated with it as his sister had been.<br />
<br />
Except...<br />
<br />
He brought his green army men out and would spend hours invading the village, defending the village and occupying the village.<br />
<br />
He hid the people of the village behind the Church and placed his army men in strategic points around town.<br />
<br />
Watching him play with the village was really different than watching his sister but it was just as satisfying.<br />
<br />
The Youngest came along and joined the Oldest in Christmas Village war games, only he brought trucks and tanks to move troops around. Luckily his transport vehicles didn't fit on the village itself so they were driven around on the table in front of the village.<br />
<br />
The Oldest outgrew it and the Youngest continued on for a few more years and once he outgrew playing with it the village became just a part of our Christmas decorations.<br />
<br />
This year I set the village up and there seems to be some problems.<br />
<br />
The light in the Christmas tree in the middle blinks.<br />
<br />
It's never blinked before but this year it blinks.<br />
<br />
And two other lights no longer work at all.<br />
<br />
So, the Island King, the Oldest and I were in the living room last night and the Island noticed the light blinking.<br />
<br />
“That light has never blinked before, right?”<br />
<br />
“That's right. The blinking is new.”<br />
<br />
We all walked over to take a closer look and the Island King said “I think the villagers are trying to send out a distress signal.”<br />
<br />
The Oldest cracked up and said “Yep, the war was hard on this place.”<br />
<br />
The light in the church no longer works.<br />
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<br />
The light in the Bakery no longer works. (Not the bulbs, the sockets)<br />
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<br />
On closer inspection, I noticed that the sign on the front of the bakery is completely gone.<br />
<br />
That's when the Oldest got a sheepish look on his face and told me that a mortar had taken it out. He then went on to say that the child who's arm was blown off was a sad casualty of war.<br />
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<br />
I asked what happened to the top of the Christmas tree and he said “Oh, that was epic!”<br />
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<br />
The Youngest had troops on the ground and the Oldest came in with a surprise air attack. The bomb – a lego – was being held onto the bottom of an airplane and the Oldest swears he meant to blow up the trucks on the table but he let go too soon and took out the top of the Christmas tree.<br />
<br />
The broken windows in the Church are from spit balls being sling-shotted at the army men and the chip on the backside of one of the trees is from an attempt to drive an army truck into the village gone wrong.<br />
<br />
I was really surprised at how much the village has deteriorated but I was ASTONISHED that the Oldest remembers exactly what happened to everything.<br />
<br />
He said that every Christmas he and his brother would expect to get yelled at for breaking something but that I watched them play and never noticed the broken stuff.<br />
<br />
No, I did not. When rambunctious children are focused and the hullabaloo of the Holidays is happening, you really don't think about things like that.<br />
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Personally, I was just glad they weren't catching the house on fire. <br />
<br />
After Christmas I'm going to rehab my village and hopefully one day I'll have grandchildren that enjoy it as much as their parents did.<br />
<br />
In the meantime – I'm positive the Island King is right – the blinking light has to be an SOS coming from the villagers.Sandcastle Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11909850898687059507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6156496346598841450.post-92194398247565839472017-12-07T14:53:00.000-06:002018-05-29T11:04:06.963-05:00Our New Camper<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Every winter we spend a
great deal of time up at Tower Camp.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">A few years ago there was
talk of a cabin being built. We even bought a shed, took it apart and
hauled it up there. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">It's still laying in the
field – in pieces. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Money and time became a
problem so we continued staying in our tent when we went up there. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">The cabin has become a
“one day” project and the shed is still a pile of wood. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">On Thanksgiving we were at
my sister's house and someone asked about the camp. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">I laughed and said that we
were getting too old to sleep on the ground (air mattresses are great
– until the air seeps out and you wake up on the ground) so now
we're going to take twin bed mattresses every time we go. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">My BIL laughed and said
“We should give you our camper.”</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Wait. What? Give us your
camper? </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">It's a 29' Dutchmen <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">29Q.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">They've owned this camper
for almost 10 years but have only used it about 6 times. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">I said something about it
being worth money and he said why sell it when they can just give it
to us. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Not much else was said and
since he'd been drinking I assumed he'd wake up the next day and be
glad he hadn't signed the title over to me. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">I even sent my sister a
text later that night asking how much more alcohol he needed to give
away their boat. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">She thought that was
pretty funny since she's the one who uses the boat and it would be
over her dead body before he gave that boat away. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">A few days went by and I
forgot about the whole thing until my sister called. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
“<span style="font-size: medium;">Do you still want the
camper?”</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">We talked for a while and
even after my BIL sobered up he thought giving us the camper would be
a good idea. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">We talked about it being
worth a lot more than free but she said they've had it in a storage
lot for years and after talking about it decided they wanted to give
it to us. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">It's funny – I'm a
writer and I can't come up with the right words to express my
gratitude. “Thank you” doesn't even come close. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">There is one problem
though. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Our truck is dead. Like,
real dead. So I don't have a way to pull the camper. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">But...</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">My Dad has a truck so I
called and asked if he'd go with us to get the camper and bring it to
our house. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">I know I'm putting the
cart in front of the horse but I'm not letting a dead truck stop me
from getting a free camper. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">On our way to pick the
camper up Dad told me that he was at dinner with my sister, BIL and
some of their friends a few nights earlier and that when my BIL
mentioned giving me their camper his friend offered him 4k – on the
spot.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">My BIL told him no and
stuck with his decision to give it to us. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">So the Island King and I
drove to Gulf Breeze, got my Dad and his truck and out to Perdido Key
we went to pick up the camper. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">It took quite a while to
get it hooked up and rolling but after a picnic lunch (in the storage
lot) and a lot of cussing on his and the Island King's part, they got
it hooked up to his truck.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">We were worried about the
tires possibly being dry rotted but thankfully we made it to my house
with no problems at all. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Because it's been sitting
in storage it needed a good deep cleaning but since they bought it
new and then hardly used it there wasn't any dirt or grime – just
dust. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">And, when they bought it,
my sister stocked it perfectly. Dishes, pots and pans, silverware,
sheets, towels and every gadget needed for pumping out the tank,
hooking things up in a camp ground and anything else you can possibly
think of. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">We won't be getting a new
truck until after Christmas but in the mean time I have what is a
basically brand new camper in my driveway. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">And as hard as I've tried
I still can't come up with the right words to say thank you. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">What I can say is that I
have the best sister and BIL anyone could ever ask for. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Until I come up with
something better, thank you will have to do so THANK YOU BOTH for
giving me such an incredible gift!</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">I love you both and
hopefully one day I'll be able to do something extraordinary for
y'all.</span></div>
Sandcastle Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11909850898687059507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6156496346598841450.post-87093066480705908962017-11-25T17:28:00.000-06:002018-06-14T19:19:56.110-05:00Mistaken Identity<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">The Youngest Island Boy
started dating a girl not too long ago and it didn't take long to
figure out that this girl is Bat Sh$t Crazy. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">I'm not being mean or
judgmental but I know crazy when I see it and she is full blown, boil
your bunny, crazy. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">They dated for a few weeks
and then she pulled some seriously bad stuff that really hurt his
feelings. He broke up with her and we told him that under NO
circumstances was he allowed to EVER see her again. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Well, last night I had to
go pick him up from work. He works in a really busy place surrounded
by lots of other busy places so we have a designated spot to pick him
up.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">I pulled up and there,
standing on the curb, was a guy and a girl. AND the girl looked just
like the crazy one. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">I was absolutely stunned
that the Youngest would be standing there with her. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">I pulled up to the curb in
front of them and they both stood there looking at me. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">I sat there looking at
them, deciding if I was going to get out of the car and rip her a new
one for the stuff she pulled on him when they started walking up to
the car. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">It was about then I
realized that the guy had short hair. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">The Youngest has long hair
and I was so thrown at seeing the girl that I thought “When did he
cut his hair?”</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">My brain was misfiring
left and right and then I had a moment of clarity. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">I took him to work and he
had long hair. I knew he didn't cut it at work and as the guy reached
out to grab the car door handle, I realized he wasn't the Youngest
and the girl wasn't the crazy one. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">So just as the guy went to
open the car door I sped off. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">As I'm driving away I see
the Youngest in my rear view mirror chasing me through the parking
lot. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">He'd been standing a few
feet away from the couple and saw the whole thing.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">I stopped and when he got
in he was laughing so hard he could barely talk and wanted to know
what had just happened. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">I told him I thought the
girl was his crazy ex and that I was so shocked to see her that it
took me a minute to realize it wasn't her or the Youngest. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">He said that when I drove
off the guy looked at the girl and said “What in the hell is wrong
with our Uber driver?”</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">We both had a really good
laugh but then he told me that he thought it was weird that I'd
think he would have anything else to do with the girl. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">I explained to him that it
was that very thing that threw me in the parking lot and that my
brain completely shut down for a minute.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">I'm glad it wasn't her but
I'm especially glad I didn't let those people in my car, thinking I
was their Uber. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">That would have been a
really uncomfortable conversation. </span>
</div>
Sandcastle Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11909850898687059507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6156496346598841450.post-76149615190860634392017-10-17T07:00:00.000-05:002018-05-29T11:05:01.312-05:00Our Mountain Journey Ends<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">After we left Cade's Cove,
our destination was Cleveland, TN. We were going to spend the night
there and do some exploring the next day. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">We stopped in Maryville
for Dad to stretch his legs and got a call from my sister. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">The storm had shifted more
to the east a little so she'd gone over to my parent's house and
secured everything outside. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Hmmm.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">We pulled up the latest
advisories on Nate and not only had it shifted, it was coming sooner
than expected and would remain a Tropical Depression all the way up
into lower Tennessee. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Where we were. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">We didn't want to be in a
tropical event up there and at that point both of us felt like going
home was what we needed to do. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Should we drive to
Birmingham and then get up and leave early the next morning? </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">What if Nate sped up more
or shifted a little more to the east?</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Once wind speeds hit a
steady 40mph they close the bridges here and I wouldn't be able to go
home if we missed our window. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">So we left Maryville, TN
at about 7:30 and drove until we got to Gulf Breeze at 3:45 in the
morning. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">And from there I had
another hour's drive to get to my house. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">The sun rose, set and rose
again and that was the end of day 3 of our 10 day adventure. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Meaning, our 10 day
adventure turned into a 3 day wild ride. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">I was sorry that we had to
miss the geocaching event and cut our exploring time down but we had
such an amazing time it was all worth it. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Even that brutal all night
drive home. </span>
</div>
Sandcastle Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11909850898687059507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6156496346598841450.post-73754448446335617622017-10-16T07:00:00.000-05:002018-05-29T11:05:26.374-05:00Exploring Cade's Cove<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">In what was now a daily
routine we checked the weather on the morning of day 3. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD63qOV08tb8bCLuZGl76rK2VAQEQjn-ZWnbMpJk08cN3TPWQcj1W3BZtpLiRaSOSrJiTtgS9Sy7Rn5tFk8OQuAMqzInPIaZd6FslwQKAo5sT8EyvFuOxfhIztJpJn0psOyjQdl6_OU4s/s1600/Hurricane-Nate-path-map-863632.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="590" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD63qOV08tb8bCLuZGl76rK2VAQEQjn-ZWnbMpJk08cN3TPWQcj1W3BZtpLiRaSOSrJiTtgS9Sy7Rn5tFk8OQuAMqzInPIaZd6FslwQKAo5sT8EyvFuOxfhIztJpJn0psOyjQdl6_OU4s/s400/Hurricane-Nate-path-map-863632.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Ok. Hurricane Nate's path
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">has shifted back to the east a little but it still looks like our houses will be ok, It might be raining harder than we thought on our drive home but there was no need to hurry so if it got bad we'd just stop somewhere.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">We both agrees that skipping the geocaching event was
a good idea because it would be raining in the mountains just when we
would have arrived, meaning we might not have been able to do and see
as much. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">The storm would be over,
with the possible exception of some rain, by the time we were ready
to go home so all was well and our adventures could continue. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">As we walked out of the
hotel we saw a trash can that had been knocked over and dug through. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">A bear was here! I can
honestly say that if I hadn't <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><a href="http://sandcastlemomma.blogspot.com/2017/10/when-we-got-intogatlinburg-we-went.html" target="_blank">seen the bears the day</a></span> before I might have cried because while I
was looking for a bear in the pool, I missed the bear on the porch. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Oddly, this hotel has
regular trash cans instead of bear proof – which probably explains
why there's a bear hanging around their parking lot at night. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">After a pancake breakfast
we were off. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Our first stop was<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">
Sugarlands V</span>isitor Center where we hiked a beautiful trail to
the <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Ownby_Cabin" target="_blank">John Ownby Cabin.</a></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMtbr9Aqtrc45EFhAmHtEYWDdBEx2UBrS5XzxFzqWQKKbGqvo8PW42Zg7nwJHIYRkURGUJhV7rXFzos2SbmzJcoS3dHoNrBQQFjqmGbPjI8J566X2gJgNuoazH-0vfB-G1nsMPvc_M5kA/s1600/IMG_4169.jpg_v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMtbr9Aqtrc45EFhAmHtEYWDdBEx2UBrS5XzxFzqWQKKbGqvo8PW42Zg7nwJHIYRkURGUJhV7rXFzos2SbmzJcoS3dHoNrBQQFjqmGbPjI8J566X2gJgNuoazH-0vfB-G1nsMPvc_M5kA/s400/IMG_4169.jpg_v1.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">It's so easy to immerse
yourself in the history of the area here and I could almost see the
Ownby family going about their daily lives.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMLu6fKONNOGpuz9Ffk0t4tlCDRj8zzZ4V-j6Fuz2MQFDyakrV5h54ww4adL45eX7o0gsdnyRGETFg6ooZfnLSDa-YYwKJB5-S9b4hX6k-qZW-FWHjVJsoTrryHG72_FBZzbrgSKz0dv4/s1600/IMG_4180.jpg_v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMLu6fKONNOGpuz9Ffk0t4tlCDRj8zzZ4V-j6Fuz2MQFDyakrV5h54ww4adL45eX7o0gsdnyRGETFg6ooZfnLSDa-YYwKJB5-S9b4hX6k-qZW-FWHjVJsoTrryHG72_FBZzbrgSKz0dv4/s400/IMG_4180.jpg_v1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9AQBetJEytuwagxXHMtTnDrOc0VOcP7M1uYNukYdwxZW4sTTGKY1aYE9kQYFRuATMNxDrdhsp2DqwB5iLKg_ItfmenNhWd980FhelMHi-C0VTowpUw-ylVmPBGLw2BouLj0xwPN5FzeM/s1600/IMG_4181.jpg_v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9AQBetJEytuwagxXHMtTnDrOc0VOcP7M1uYNukYdwxZW4sTTGKY1aYE9kQYFRuATMNxDrdhsp2DqwB5iLKg_ItfmenNhWd980FhelMHi-C0VTowpUw-ylVmPBGLw2BouLj0xwPN5FzeM/s400/IMG_4181.jpg_v1.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">From there we drove on to
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><a href="https://www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/cadescove.htm" target="_blank">Cade's Cove</a></span>. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">I was really proud of
myself for making it to <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><a href="http://sandcastlemomma.blogspot.com/2017/10/cherokee-north-carolina-and-newfound-gap.html" target="_blank">NewfoundGap </a></span>without having a panic attack but this road was completely
different. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">The roa<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">d
l</span>eading to Newfound Gap was nice and wide with a guard rail
and the feeling that there was plenty of room on both sides for cars
coming and going. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">The ro<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">ad
to</span> Cade's Cove was NOT my kind of road. I felt like the
oncoming cars whipping around the curves were going to run us off the
road at any minute.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">And Dad wasn't much help.
“Look over there. Hey there's a guy fly fishing in the cre<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">ek.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Did you see those rocks?”</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">No, I didn't see anything
because someone has to watch the road!</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">We went up to 5,000 feet
yesterday and I didn't need a Valium but today we were only traveling
to 1,000 feet and I was looking for a Pez dispenser to deliver Valium
fast enough for me to make it up the mountain. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">We passed a waterfall with
a scenic overlook and he said “Oh I wanted to stop there” and
then acted like he was going to turn around. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
“<span style="font-size: medium;">NO NO NO!” I did NOT
want to turn around on that narrow road and after he <a href="http://sandcastlemomma.blogspot.com/search?q=cheaha" target="_blank">made a u-turn on the side of Cheaha Mountain</a> with a Snickers in his mouth and a Coke
in his hand I knew I never wanted to be in the car when he made a
u-turn again. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">So we passed the waterfall
and went on up into Cade's Cove. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc7TdO0ke63pFrBd1ioFtb96vdAntJvwF-lXgaZvtsM-P5d2Kv3BxgkZ5fFf0kVj-Ey86nyhvvTuIkklMtch3g9lK8adLPKLY1q0jTYoOdNtyNpAafGACCv3oWSIkAeQvapk3gwagfs4c/s1600/IMG_4206.jpg_v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc7TdO0ke63pFrBd1ioFtb96vdAntJvwF-lXgaZvtsM-P5d2Kv3BxgkZ5fFf0kVj-Ey86nyhvvTuIkklMtch3g9lK8adLPKLY1q0jTYoOdNtyNpAafGACCv3oWSIkAeQvapk3gwagfs4c/s400/IMG_4206.jpg_v1.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Words can't describe how
beautiful this valley is! I really enjoyed seeing everything we'd
seen so far but once we got into the valley I felt like I was home.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWXPSRHAs1sJ8FRPHyKQ0CVe5ZaaNeHKpghMF1hOMEdVGWOI4UMc7OjkBX_83ZqitnVKmjjCmockNpB8ADbcy8PrrMIi-YE_WFG6kJNPTnZ0K08cyir-Qtob0YIZ6HA4gv04E436ENe7o/s1600/IMG_4218.jpg_v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWXPSRHAs1sJ8FRPHyKQ0CVe5ZaaNeHKpghMF1hOMEdVGWOI4UMc7OjkBX_83ZqitnVKmjjCmockNpB8ADbcy8PrrMIi-YE_WFG6kJNPTnZ0K08cyir-Qtob0YIZ6HA4gv04E436ENe7o/s400/IMG_4218.jpg_v1.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Which is weird for a woman
who's never lived farther than 10 miles from the coast. I've always
said salt water runs through my veins but the views and serenity
brought the same sense of calm and home that looking at the Gulf
does.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">I am truly the daughter of
a son of a son of a sailor man but this area really spoke to me.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF3nktai2_1jI70k6X6UOfmqyfLHagUCL3TJYOd__PAV55TWiXoUjaz5JMGVu-oL34nn1TjMIX6F643-37lvoLRW7N9N7mBddBxW0Y5vvgRHJy1Y7WFdvtu_VgoS3gN1yHhuvZVoOLFR4/s1600/IMG_4216.jpg_v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF3nktai2_1jI70k6X6UOfmqyfLHagUCL3TJYOd__PAV55TWiXoUjaz5JMGVu-oL34nn1TjMIX6F643-37lvoLRW7N9N7mBddBxW0Y5vvgRHJy1Y7WFdvtu_VgoS3gN1yHhuvZVoOLFR4/s400/IMG_4216.jpg_v1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">As we came into the Valley
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><a href="http://sandcastlemomma.blogspot.com/2017/10/an-epic-geocaching-experience-in-cades.html" target="_blank">we went on an absolutely epic geocaching adventure</a></span>. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Once we got back to the
car we drove along for a short while and then had a picnic at a
scenic pull over.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">It was incredible seeing
the mountains circling us. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXxWi15VbrsBegfYle8t3awQIcO1USUsXuLAQ0OycafY9Py6zr5ufmqMRzgyK9kuo87WnYhATGg0GcaU10I57IHKrAFeYtZxuD6sNmgaVXOeEkUW8iqwAtCCW5XBbZIVtXt-nRhCRgGOs/s1600/IMG_4210.jpg_v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXxWi15VbrsBegfYle8t3awQIcO1USUsXuLAQ0OycafY9Py6zr5ufmqMRzgyK9kuo87WnYhATGg0GcaU10I57IHKrAFeYtZxuD6sNmgaVXOeEkUW8iqwAtCCW5XBbZIVtXt-nRhCRgGOs/s400/IMG_4210.jpg_v1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjff8zQ3rtNPbVNSUWIliMu0h-UpVU1tr8ziTdUdfl0fx_FJ7RBTboBNyGbFN_vwaYa6mtxmjv-en7sWyF_5dGRshJS4I5lx_0mZ9_RxbFkeTt_6e7ty1f1On_xJl8ZmAcw4B-9i0KAfFg/s1600/IMG_4212.jpg_v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjff8zQ3rtNPbVNSUWIliMu0h-UpVU1tr8ziTdUdfl0fx_FJ7RBTboBNyGbFN_vwaYa6mtxmjv-en7sWyF_5dGRshJS4I5lx_0mZ9_RxbFkeTt_6e7ty1f1On_xJl8ZmAcw4B-9i0KAfFg/s400/IMG_4212.jpg_v1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Wildlife in the Cove is
abundant and a lot of people were watching the tree line for bear,
deer or whatever else might wander into the field.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">I've heard so many stories
of bobcat, bears, and deer wandering the valley but all I saw was a
squirrel. A grey squirrel – the exact same kind we have at home. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFTey342kehN-CbXmL4NPU2KcJOcZADvO2dgd_a61q0HimE6QjlvSGi9WZb5gc17a618NsyPo9majF2lafOg17EwXLRO3W10b5-jOjJTuiLse6D9VqWrrH2k8o59J26xqoU8Xgp5rChSc/s1600/IMG_4207.jpg_v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFTey342kehN-CbXmL4NPU2KcJOcZADvO2dgd_a61q0HimE6QjlvSGi9WZb5gc17a618NsyPo9majF2lafOg17EwXLRO3W10b5-jOjJTuiLse6D9VqWrrH2k8o59J26xqoU8Xgp5rChSc/s400/IMG_4207.jpg_v1.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Interestingly, the fact
that I didn't see anything on this day didn't bother me. I think the
time we spent <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><a href="http://sandcastlemomma.blogspot.com/2017/10/an-epic-geocaching-experience-in-cades.html" target="_blank">climbing the mountain</a></span>
cut into time we may have seen something but I'd seen bears, turkeys,
elk and chipmunks <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><a href="http://sandcastlemomma.blogspot.com/2017/10/when-we-got-intogatlinburg-we-went.html" target="_blank">yesterday</a></span>.
</span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">I can say without a doubt,
the adventure on the mountain was worth it. I also know that I will
be back. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Soon. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">After lunch we drove on
the the Cade's Cove Primitive Baptist Church. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwIiycupB8bpmm4VKlu0UHhx1AJbuBpuaPA1iNCzanjhj9LMjs4clc4BoN-rOxBfqBphptIei_MFFc33PaVbSA5SAIz9NtP5kTi5bT_287JGOQnITOkU7pus1Xy4vRwAIEmaXrZJUSwgs/s1600/P1010814.jpg_v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1202" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwIiycupB8bpmm4VKlu0UHhx1AJbuBpuaPA1iNCzanjhj9LMjs4clc4BoN-rOxBfqBphptIei_MFFc33PaVbSA5SAIz9NtP5kTi5bT_287JGOQnITOkU7pus1Xy4vRwAIEmaXrZJUSwgs/s400/P1010814.jpg_v1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">I would love to travel
back in time and attend a service here. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">The cemetery behind the
church had some very interesting old graves but one in particular
caught my eye.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcxTwsRAsS3ULcWws6_cLTmL5ZFpdOVm0aXbtFlBAfbzJMvGSZ0fc-ulMoBagS31bshU3Ue__M3yGhFhHEnLfIxYvDtROXNX0DCsQMGwlFX-XAeSe7dNXhigSporkbFn1Zg3P8SOzF5e8/s1600/P1010823.jpg_v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1202" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcxTwsRAsS3ULcWws6_cLTmL5ZFpdOVm0aXbtFlBAfbzJMvGSZ0fc-ulMoBagS31bshU3Ue__M3yGhFhHEnLfIxYvDtROXNX0DCsQMGwlFX-XAeSe7dNXhigSporkbFn1Zg3P8SOzF5e8/s400/P1010823.jpg_v1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Murdered by North Carolina
Rebels? </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">I had to know that story
so I did a little reading and discovered <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><a href="https://www.legacystories.org/public-archives/stories/entry/russell-gregory" target="_blank">this </a></span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">and <a href="http://archive.knoxnews.com/news/story-of-cades-cove-mans-death-reveals-divisions-during-civil-war-ep-406059693-358052201.html" target="_blank">this</a>. </span></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">No one knows for sure but
interestingly, his son is buried right behind him in the Primitive
Baptist Church Cemetery. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">There is also a Methodist
Church </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgPoz4izBKE9QfdOtlS1gTDBsZGaRwTdt9bv1AYfKhHYgZsdnN4ZMqM4jy_awJtqf5nhWiwYNG5sNMKx4JkJ835LBTQAl0zgBGlHsuMNtLp_olMvHKr5gxNuDmQ2cnhqRsMQjsK-WHgys/s1600/P1010827.jpg_v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1202" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgPoz4izBKE9QfdOtlS1gTDBsZGaRwTdt9bv1AYfKhHYgZsdnN4ZMqM4jy_awJtqf5nhWiwYNG5sNMKx4JkJ835LBTQAl0zgBGlHsuMNtLp_olMvHKr5gxNuDmQ2cnhqRsMQjsK-WHgys/s400/P1010827.jpg_v1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-nQVE2_TMgnlf9Q99xdaJyVXaESxloQIy0JIYAFbT1up0CMqm8VAl8o_BDG2nHmfwnkrIPmU3uWnRTCZ6-HDDmapQBxLr8owLl-j_1rU_PifvGdpCh7z4s1ptG93FTCWd5vmaSPDQPJ0/s1600/P1010829.jpg_v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1202" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-nQVE2_TMgnlf9Q99xdaJyVXaESxloQIy0JIYAFbT1up0CMqm8VAl8o_BDG2nHmfwnkrIPmU3uWnRTCZ6-HDDmapQBxLr8owLl-j_1rU_PifvGdpCh7z4s1ptG93FTCWd5vmaSPDQPJ0/s400/P1010829.jpg_v1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlwvfMYPAN2gWh8R4gkaeHnn2JFVSWh_ZmHmb0gbfBvHgUFTufdvlN5JmSHclDrWn65TLTuZWegsTYwKYKtacq2tKCnO1bQTOYd6ikOIRLH6snXwHHsBlhDNDJQsj8hqBRuJfgKNRRyYM/s1600/P1010830.jpg_v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1202" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlwvfMYPAN2gWh8R4gkaeHnn2JFVSWh_ZmHmb0gbfBvHgUFTufdvlN5JmSHclDrWn65TLTuZWegsTYwKYKtacq2tKCnO1bQTOYd6ikOIRLH6snXwHHsBlhDNDJQsj8hqBRuJfgKNRRyYM/s400/P1010830.jpg_v1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">As well as a Missionary Baptist Church. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSGIerls_LD4yT_bJCDuYc_ebp8Ug5B3PKXve27Q8ojYJXlmjSs1SOY4hSNkjHai_7qopDGmqgzp70k3Vllq25JNXo6lIzm09UB6lILDPbwNXMfaNKk3IBof2Oki2tMJAB1fweSmYZ2lU/s1600/P1010821.jpg_v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1202" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSGIerls_LD4yT_bJCDuYc_ebp8Ug5B3PKXve27Q8ojYJXlmjSs1SOY4hSNkjHai_7qopDGmqgzp70k3Vllq25JNXo6lIzm09UB6lILDPbwNXMfaNKk3IBof2Oki2tMJAB1fweSmYZ2lU/s400/P1010821.jpg_v1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">I would have enjoyed
wandering around more of the old cemeteries and cabins but my hip was
screaming and the idea of walking anywhere wasn't appealing. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">And as I said, I'll be
back. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">We made the loop and ended
up at the Visitor's Center/Campground Store. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Sad to leave but armed
with large cups of coffee we were off on our next adventure, </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">The sun rose and almost
set and so far day 3 of our 10 day adventure was a success. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Little did we know that in
a few short hours everything was going to change.</span></div>
Sandcastle Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11909850898687059507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6156496346598841450.post-40072610350137654532017-10-15T12:58:00.000-05:002018-05-29T11:05:51.686-05:00An Epic Geocaching Experience in Cade's Cove<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Our first stop in Cade's
Cove was to find a virtual geocache. We didn't know what we were
looking for but we had GPS coordinates and knew that whatever we
found would be cool. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">We were watching the GPS
and right as we got even with the cache we saw a pull over spot and a
trail leading up the side of the mountain. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">This must be the spot. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">We were 400 feet from the
cache so up the mountain we went. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">About 100 feet in the
trail stopped. Literally. No more trail, no remnants of the trail,
nothing. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOzyKIh20ugs3DEzJbfJKNQpfks1-sP_8L8una1KgtfL_SRfZVC42AoNUSOXPsLSAwn5mxlTRZNC8rl0Cf54Ykb5bU0QGdsw_wsbuMZVQnEQnF4aMpHXKRhKZw2gMzZG62GT0wmkl7TVk/s1600/IMG_4196.jpg_v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOzyKIh20ugs3DEzJbfJKNQpfks1-sP_8L8una1KgtfL_SRfZVC42AoNUSOXPsLSAwn5mxlTRZNC8rl0Cf54Ykb5bU0QGdsw_wsbuMZVQnEQnF4aMpHXKRhKZw2gMzZG62GT0wmkl7TVk/s400/IMG_4196.jpg_v1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">We stood there for a
minute while Dad looked at the GPS and pointed straight up the
mountain from us. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Should we go back to the
truck and find a real trail? Or should we just bushwack on up? </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">As a geocacher you can be
assured that there is always a trail. There are a lot of times that
we can't find the trail so we bush wack in but once we find the cache
we can see the trail out. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">So we looked up the
mountain and then back down at the car and I said “It's only 300
feet, let's just go.” </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">The area wasn't dense so
it looked like we'd just walk on up. Dad agreed and up we went. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Except, that was a really
bad idea. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Bush wacking up a mountain
is absolutely NOTHING like bush wacking in a flat state. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">There were ravines, rocks,
massive downed trees, steep climbs and what we would call log jams
back home. Except these log jams weren't in a creek they were
everywhere!</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYTyWps3BQH-WN-wfTeOigavSFv3R18FlgoVYmeV9VUj_2MhOkGhGW01h2ckvGIao3_pHo63m11Hji7927DQiy2b1Ss-Q6OKG3ACEY0gouFhjg1jGYkXTnH196sD1bBPqrEMQqInvB_yw/s1600/IMG_4197.jpg_v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYTyWps3BQH-WN-wfTeOigavSFv3R18FlgoVYmeV9VUj_2MhOkGhGW01h2ckvGIao3_pHo63m11Hji7927DQiy2b1Ss-Q6OKG3ACEY0gouFhjg1jGYkXTnH196sD1bBPqrEMQqInvB_yw/s400/IMG_4197.jpg_v1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Snakes love log jams so I
go around them at home but there was no going around some of these so
we had to make our way through them, which was really sketchy. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Around this, over that,
down a ravine, up a ravine – it was intense. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">I have to give massive
credit to my Dad. He's 81 years old and had major back surgery 8
weeks ago but he has more stamina than most 40 year olds. And
definitely more than I have. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">You don't see many people
his age that can do the things he does and even fewer that could have
made it up that mountain like he did. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvtuL8VlCdiLqqWHShsUHMcmYkTG5ML5gbap2lmfQTdN7vCNhlXsp9TgbSp85sKoBLmf2mUtzE13c1z_3AoZaUHUh4JbnQbP1Cqx3afhSDYGw2h8q9dC6xu-XVA6ZDLzfTe02pKTONm8Y/s1600/IMG_4195.jpg_v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvtuL8VlCdiLqqWHShsUHMcmYkTG5ML5gbap2lmfQTdN7vCNhlXsp9TgbSp85sKoBLmf2mUtzE13c1z_3AoZaUHUh4JbnQbP1Cqx3afhSDYGw2h8q9dC6xu-XVA6ZDLzfTe02pKTONm8Y/s400/IMG_4195.jpg_v1.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">After not quite 2 hours we
were still 100 feet from the cache and there was still no sign of a
trail. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">We sat down to rest and
Dad starts talking about park rangers finding a Jane Doe years ago,
which immediately made me want to write my name on my arm in sharpie.
</span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Then he says “Do you
know what a Bot Fly is”? </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
“<span style="font-size: medium;">Isn't that the fly that
lays it's larvae in dead bodies and is a way to tell how long the
body has been dead”?</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
“<span style="font-size: medium;">Yep – and they're
circling my head right now”</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">This was supposed to be a
30 minute, there and back, hike. I don't know the mountain version of
Gilligan's Island's '3 hour tour' but we were damn sure on it. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Dad thought he saw a
navigable path in one direction and I saw one in the other, both of
which would end on a ridge we could see above us, so we split up. It
took about one minute after he disappeared into the trees for me to
regret that. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">I knew he was close but
still, I was suddenly alone on the side of a mountain. A mountain. I
don't know diddly squat about being alone in the woods on a mountain.
</span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Luckily, I heard him
crashing through the woods and I wasn't alone any more. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Onward I went and then
stepped in a hole. It was covered with leaves so I didn't see it and
my entire foot went in. It was only about 8 to 10 inches deep but it
was just enough so that all of my weight landed hard on my hip. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Great. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">My hip is screaming and
I'm limping along when I hear voices coming from the ridge we
were trying to get to. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">I'm going to be completely
honest here and tell you that I almost yelled “HELP”</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Instead I called out to
Dad that I'd heard voices. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Hearing me yell must have
given whoever it was a Banjo moment and I saw a flash of color. The
must have turned around because their voices were suddenly getting farther
away and they were moving pretty fast. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">But I'd seen them so I
knew where the trail we were looking for was and there was a good
chance we'd make it to the trail and live to tell the tale. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Dad made his way over to
me and about 20 minutes later we burst out of the woods onto the
trail and at our exact destination.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">A couple were standing
there and we gave them a good startle when we burst out of the woods.
</span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">We were also standing in
front of the virtual cache – which was really pretty but I can't
tell you about because that ruins the “secret”.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">And of course we walked
back down a ten minute REAL trail and found that if we'd have driven
another 100 feet we'd have seen this trail and would have been done
hours ago. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">In hindsight, I am SO glad
we did it the hard way. We'd seen and done so many amazing things on
this trip but this was truly an intimate look at what it's like
there. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Walking a path is one
thing but you really learn a lot about an area when you just head off
into the woods. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">We were battered but not
beaten and we still had Cade's Cove to explore so back into the car
and off we went.</span></div>
Sandcastle Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11909850898687059507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6156496346598841450.post-68620960339022775592017-10-12T07:00:00.000-05:002018-05-29T11:06:13.284-05:00Roaring Fork Motor Trail<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">When we got into
Gatlinburg we went straight to the </span><span style="font-size: medium;">Roaring Fork Motor Nature
Trail.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Along this drive is an
historic cabin and nature trail that just happens to have a Virtual
geocache. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Virtual caches are given
as GPS coordinates just like a regular cache only at the location you
will find something interesting to see and there is no container with
a log to sign. Each virtual has questions about the location and are
something that you can't know without actually going there. You get
credit for these caches if you email the cache owner the correct
answers.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Dad has found this cache
before but loved the hike so much he wanted to do it again. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">We turned onto the road
and immediately saw a rafter of wild turkeys on the side of the road.
They completely ignored us and he told me that him and my Mom were
there once and he had to get out of the car to shoo the turkeys off
the road. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEzqe14XV1YZv99k0WmRMok5d9k2kyx8VpO_k6YevxEY6ZzwEuyEsM8bJ_G9VfmXfOhjV_qtApWDsohYGLLPrvlglKz1vwwGsvhURQmFF7HIjOxoDeccHXV_Plof6md_SCMjUsxe8uCZk/s1600/IMG_4081.jpg_v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEzqe14XV1YZv99k0WmRMok5d9k2kyx8VpO_k6YevxEY6ZzwEuyEsM8bJ_G9VfmXfOhjV_qtApWDsohYGLLPrvlglKz1vwwGsvhURQmFF7HIjOxoDeccHXV_Plof6md_SCMjUsxe8uCZk/s400/IMG_4081.jpg_v1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Turkeys around here tend
to be very skittish and I've only caught glimpses of them. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">A few minutes later we
came to a convertible stopped in the road. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">We looked around, trying
to see what they were looking at and after a minute I saw him. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">A bear. A big bear. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimKZYeXP1OU1R7fn3yNsdQJq6cOSyKUS7d5UmTJiH4WSaN5H5ZEnaiHtHDLGksP_13b17rvkxf9GEWSDo7afqrUWF7KeedjzhM3xP4NGIPjfraSmk0m18_nGOOu1VUOzZm-7EjLNzO8vs/s1600/P1010763.jpg_v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1202" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimKZYeXP1OU1R7fn3yNsdQJq6cOSyKUS7d5UmTJiH4WSaN5H5ZEnaiHtHDLGksP_13b17rvkxf9GEWSDo7afqrUWF7KeedjzhM3xP4NGIPjfraSmk0m18_nGOOu1VUOzZm-7EjLNzO8vs/s400/P1010763.jpg_v1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><a href="http://sandcastlemomma.blogspot.com/2013/09/bear-in-road.html" target="_blank">Seeing a bear in the wild is number one on my bucket list </a></span>and there
he was. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">I
got out of the truck and walked up to the side of the convertible,
trying to get a better look. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">It
was really only a glimpse before he wandered off but I SAW A
BEAR!!!!!!!</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">I
am still grinning like the village idiot almost a week later. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Back
into the car and on up to <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noah_Ogle_Place" target="_blank">NoahOgle's Place</a>,</span> the cabin we wanted to see.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj26-pHmkcQqzCxOEjGPxNxZX9VkYn-D2BpSZeztqQHEawc6cjF2ZpO9bdaio784PQfe0u_FHMl5lMe5bXh8mVBUaSyyv_AQ6nBj5eeBeuh99AgFWJDibsCVqr3xjc6rymHaQJtDfEQ-7Q/s1600/IMG_4134.jpg_v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1422" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj26-pHmkcQqzCxOEjGPxNxZX9VkYn-D2BpSZeztqQHEawc6cjF2ZpO9bdaio784PQfe0u_FHMl5lMe5bXh8mVBUaSyyv_AQ6nBj5eeBeuh99AgFWJDibsCVqr3xjc6rymHaQJtDfEQ-7Q/s400/IMG_4134.jpg_v1.jpg" width="355" /></a></div>
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">The
virtual geocache is located on the hiking trail here so Dad and I got
our walking sticks and struck out on a hike down the trail from the
old house to the tub mill on LeConte Creek. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
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</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Everything
is much greener up there and of course there are lots of rocks.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">I
really like the rocks, although I couldn't make the thought that they
could have Timber rattlesnakes under them go away. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">We
ran into two men on the trail who had some interesting camera
equipment, on their way to photograph fish in the creek. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Which
probably explains why the first thing I thought when I saw the camera
was that it had a flounder light rig hooked up to it. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">The
old mill is really interesting and in good shape. The flumes
the owner had constructed and the water wheel look like you could start
them running again with just a little rehabbing. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvADOYvPBiCeUGKSZxC1VQPOHFWElTQC-6lvsN1ppyqDaxYq95KIFS6IOpgL4GruZ61H7Pt_tjo0VxI9EcDkIasc-6romud4ZtoQ6LshHhqURW4fk2rNH_qhArHFaLr5ewAuBgcQ0g2PI/s1600/IMG_4094.jpg_v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvADOYvPBiCeUGKSZxC1VQPOHFWElTQC-6lvsN1ppyqDaxYq95KIFS6IOpgL4GruZ61H7Pt_tjo0VxI9EcDkIasc-6romud4ZtoQ6LshHhqURW4fk2rNH_qhArHFaLr5ewAuBgcQ0g2PI/s400/IMG_4094.jpg_v1.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Back
up the hill we went and explored the barn and home of the Ogle
family. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrMH1hWc-ZFTwbRTwT2VYgQjmZz59bI-v6zzq7IGJluX9cH3M5itjt6AQz1JOIXkv5MA11J7AWYHoSWMAuc4Z6iC8T0SxuPMTPSCwAShbVMSAXa-aRdXNfKLSH3G8hXva7abGbSLCZ32E/s1600/IMG_4113.jpg_v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrMH1hWc-ZFTwbRTwT2VYgQjmZz59bI-v6zzq7IGJluX9cH3M5itjt6AQz1JOIXkv5MA11J7AWYHoSWMAuc4Z6iC8T0SxuPMTPSCwAShbVMSAXa-aRdXNfKLSH3G8hXva7abGbSLCZ32E/s400/IMG_4113.jpg_v1.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJNIcBBAKMYjXFnVIcaZ8Oy1BMz-gpcj8UmFncs2qNFvdz1X1pQHcuHm6fF5IqlbwkTWYGW3jQV9TNrHA8pOe9IHbhymn9_bPg6e9RhlyYWf7l2m3BovKvgRTwvvRDmPbAxHoeAQ21an8/s1600/IMG_4118.jpg_v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJNIcBBAKMYjXFnVIcaZ8Oy1BMz-gpcj8UmFncs2qNFvdz1X1pQHcuHm6fF5IqlbwkTWYGW3jQV9TNrHA8pOe9IHbhymn9_bPg6e9RhlyYWf7l2m3BovKvgRTwvvRDmPbAxHoeAQ21an8/s400/IMG_4118.jpg_v1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">I
always think about the people who settled whatever area I'm in and
it's interesting to compare life on the Ogle farm versus life on the
Florida coast in the late 1880s. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">I
know for sure that neither of them were easy. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">We
got back on the motor trail and a few minutes later saw a bunch of
cars stopped on the road and about a dozen people standing on the
side of the road, looking up the hill. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Naturally
we stopped, got out, walked over to the people and looked up the
hill. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">BEARS!!!</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">A
momma bear and her three cubs were in the top of a tree eating
acorns. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRH4emo9Tv8Ofwi8kgKvLMqCrTDsTHNTQuK8-Ak4v9IS6yAX9-kfMYPWSXdC4JXeEOjptT3G5pC7JJPIoET3f6vqJtzqNsxDF7tNGJ6y7qjaiCGh-D4d1xsOHWAvye1blEgEgfo5YPbEk/s1600/IMG_4140.jpg_v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRH4emo9Tv8Ofwi8kgKvLMqCrTDsTHNTQuK8-Ak4v9IS6yAX9-kfMYPWSXdC4JXeEOjptT3G5pC7JJPIoET3f6vqJtzqNsxDF7tNGJ6y7qjaiCGh-D4d1xsOHWAvye1blEgEgfo5YPbEk/s400/IMG_4140.jpg_v1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">About
20 yards from us. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrmZDsSTgytMkXMPJchkghweqakak_9-IBS_x5elcp3itSiMV7EwcMi91xYpGpoV9JUdDCJ6x9j_t99PvN_I_T9Z9HVMg4vZFuU9PtHRMiiFTazIPkQVdduzNdXxTXEb7GAB-4DTH9xy0/s1600/IMG_4142.jpg_v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrmZDsSTgytMkXMPJchkghweqakak_9-IBS_x5elcp3itSiMV7EwcMi91xYpGpoV9JUdDCJ6x9j_t99PvN_I_T9Z9HVMg4vZFuU9PtHRMiiFTazIPkQVdduzNdXxTXEb7GAB-4DTH9xy0/s400/IMG_4142.jpg_v1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">It
was as magical as swimming with manatee and wild dolphin the Pass
(before that was illegal, of course) </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Mom,
Dad and I watched <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><a href="http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/americas-national-parks/videos/best-of-great-smoky-mountains-national-park/" target="_blank">this</a></span> on
Nat Geo the night before we left Gulf Breeze and now I was seeing it
happen right in front of me. They were eating acorns instead of
berries but there was no difference. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Again,
I had a short lens so I don't have beautiful bear photos but I was
seeing them firsthand and that was enough – for now. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">This
experience deserves it's own post so I'll save that for later but I
just <i>thought</i> I was happy to have glimpsed the male. After watching
these four I was in hog heaven. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">After
about twenty minutes the sun moved behind the mountain and it was
getting dark so we drove on to our hotel in Gatlinburg. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">We
stayed in at the <a href="https://www.qualityinncreeksidegatlinburg.com/" target="_blank">Quality</a><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><a href="https://www.qualityinncreeksidegatlinburg.com/" target="_blank"> InnCreekside</a></span> </span>and as we were parking a hotel employee told us that
a bear had been wandering the parking lot at night and was even in
the pool a few nights ago so to be careful if we came out to our cars
at night. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Each
of the rooms had a private balcony and Dad's room had a beautiful view of the mountains BUT my room overlooked the pool. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">I'm
embarrassed to say how much time I spent sitting there waiting to see
a swimming bear. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">We went to <span style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://calhouns.com/" target="_blank"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Calhoun's</span> </a></span>and had an excellent steak dinner. It was only about 8 or so
when we finished eating but we were too tired from our long day to wander Gatlinburg so we decided to go straight back to our rooms. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Truth
be told, I really wanted to get back to that balcony. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">I
never did see a bear in the pool. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">The sun set and the second half of day 2 of our 10 day adventure was
a success. </span></div>
Sandcastle Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11909850898687059507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6156496346598841450.post-12458108883451094322017-10-11T07:00:00.000-05:002018-06-04T22:35:37.836-05:00Cherokee North Carolina and Newfound Gap<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Ok. So I am totally
confused about when we did what and I think the picnic I said we had
on Wednesday actually happened on Thursday. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">At any rate, on the second
day, Dad and I woke up in Rome and checked the forecast for Tropical
Storm Nate. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi57XeHljmm1l63efhrYgibdke35S1IS8Jvyo5KR5KKF5Kp_iNwUG50yTv047a-o4STzJgLS-1FWt7eFa6Da7nTAwJQidYC40WP1w4I325qg9XCNo3qlTp_2_FEvIb6QQcDoEOcaxRzj9I/s1600/nate-oct5-wind.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="615" data-original-width="750" height="327" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi57XeHljmm1l63efhrYgibdke35S1IS8Jvyo5KR5KKF5Kp_iNwUG50yTv047a-o4STzJgLS-1FWt7eFa6Da7nTAwJQidYC40WP1w4I325qg9XCNo3qlTp_2_FEvIb6QQcDoEOcaxRzj9I/s400/nate-oct5-wind.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">It still wasn't a
hurricane and potential landfall had shifted to the west of our homes
but the “cone of uncertainty” still showed a rain/wind event
coming to the area we were going to explore in the mountains and it
was set to arrive on Sunday – this same day we were to leave Rome
and go to the mountains. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">We talked for a few
minutes and in the end both of us decided we'd pass on the geo-event
and leave for the mountains that morning. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">That way we could explore
and see what we wanted to see before the remnants of Nate arrived. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Off we went in the
direction of Cherokee, NC. And now that I've looked at the map, I
realize that's when we had <a href="http://sandcastlemomma.blogspot.com/2017/10/were-off-to-rome.html" target="_blank">the picnic at the dam</a>. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd1spxtAX5i0RAdCg65ifHMRnGN1vXhbIG4R7wRM3S3q-0MDwAR6Q4BddzEGfqJmBuO5tC5REBSmEgFN5EGYTQMCS0TSMdCtDfwQlQkCbm6i7ophJbc3qTL0lOE-CZxD3CYgALuCL2ltw/s1600/P1010720.jpg_v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1202" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd1spxtAX5i0RAdCg65ifHMRnGN1vXhbIG4R7wRM3S3q-0MDwAR6Q4BddzEGfqJmBuO5tC5REBSmEgFN5EGYTQMCS0TSMdCtDfwQlQkCbm6i7ophJbc3qTL0lOE-CZxD3CYgALuCL2ltw/s400/P1010720.jpg_v1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">As we drove north we drove
along the Oconaluftee River we saw a lot of white water rafting
outfitters and several groups of people rafting as we drove. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: medium;">That river trip would be awesome.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_CkWtdwenDLjgqyDCvCtYgn-Z9P2h-oXWlvcXmDeqjILPaU_i8dVWh_ye9sCCc4GwSCSDKBjdyivSjUoKd-MKWIf1NNiP_3Esx_tJuTWNNqWcOHq6Fe8VTUPK-Lk8ZTSrd-s5VqyzLtc/s1600/P1010721.jpg_v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1202" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_CkWtdwenDLjgqyDCvCtYgn-Z9P2h-oXWlvcXmDeqjILPaU_i8dVWh_ye9sCCc4GwSCSDKBjdyivSjUoKd-MKWIf1NNiP_3Esx_tJuTWNNqWcOHq6Fe8VTUPK-Lk8ZTSrd-s5VqyzLtc/s400/P1010721.jpg_v1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">I'm definitely coming back
to do that.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">We got into Cherokee,
stopped at the Oconaluftee Visitor Center and saw this sign. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiELC83Xb2cT7upLb6whlrIf9CnHoxgLBacjKN0jqPeF7nZJHI07_EhzZNVgW35OuJacYKqiZ6TQ2c6jn2Is8cj-qhYSlFQcb3q_j2eS-MAYmh7Rd21degcRx_-KYOAYo6OLg4Lwk-S6Lo/s1600/P1010729.jpg_v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1202" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiELC83Xb2cT7upLb6whlrIf9CnHoxgLBacjKN0jqPeF7nZJHI07_EhzZNVgW35OuJacYKqiZ6TQ2c6jn2Is8cj-qhYSlFQcb3q_j2eS-MAYmh7Rd21degcRx_-KYOAYo6OLg4Lwk-S6Lo/s400/P1010729.jpg_v1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSoqLjIo1OoFp6OxdzbPQkRULA44sq3xbFIVZfvvwwEz3vVguIWcvkUsOY7UKo8lTqDl1tXNdUaPqgeShK_V_7luKEAb3nWBIFiSxo5ty2WjysEgHVSUFawJixc_MboNIIQTkg-LzElo8/s1600/P1010730.jpg_v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1202" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSoqLjIo1OoFp6OxdzbPQkRULA44sq3xbFIVZfvvwwEz3vVguIWcvkUsOY7UKo8lTqDl1tXNdUaPqgeShK_V_7luKEAb3nWBIFiSxo5ty2WjysEgHVSUFawJixc_MboNIIQTkg-LzElo8/s400/P1010730.jpg_v1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnvW2d1jZc2CYubbobMCZ-GzHgde5eWEtPf70D51te5ISQ6tiwiaBZO8BXe9wE61fWl5R-k6s4ntJP4rVpMHNVUhVmdXqHPY-7kMWZlUMVxuAz383KN9NQ4_-nL8C-XD68wZCrbEMngwc/s1600/P1010731.jpg_v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1202" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnvW2d1jZc2CYubbobMCZ-GzHgde5eWEtPf70D51te5ISQ6tiwiaBZO8BXe9wE61fWl5R-k6s4ntJP4rVpMHNVUhVmdXqHPY-7kMWZlUMVxuAz383KN9NQ4_-nL8C-XD68wZCrbEMngwc/s400/P1010731.jpg_v1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Really? I've never seen
elk and according to my Dad I'd have to go to the <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Cataloochee
</span>Valley to see them. According to my daughter I'd NEVER make it
because the road would freak me out. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">One of the Park Rangers
told us some of that herd had migrated into this valley and there was
one big bull they'd nicknamed Big Boy. Big Boy played a big part in
populating this area with elk. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">The Ranger also told us
we'd know which one was Big Boy if we saw him. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">It was the middle of the
day so we weren't expecting to see any elk but then we heard an elk
bugle. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Whoa. They are here now
and must be right inside of the tree line. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">We stood there for a
minute and then a <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">female
</span>stepped out into the field, followed by a bull. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">They were a way off but
Dad had binoculars so I got a good look at them.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Sadly, the zoom on my
camera couldn't come close to you'll just have to believe there are
elk in these pictures. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcH4kX0c1E9ztS-Pmb28edt9lrpsrPfMsPcTuDYRr3Jc_ZV4tKEGx_ZN8rGrqUPMrG4eVfjVCMBMt2Xn8VNHOScrNosgWnE1rMlWNQCPjD1W_ZZHRKq6iBhmhcGDR5W9pMT46ML8Ekq0k/s1600/P1010730.jpg_v2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1202" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcH4kX0c1E9ztS-Pmb28edt9lrpsrPfMsPcTuDYRr3Jc_ZV4tKEGx_ZN8rGrqUPMrG4eVfjVCMBMt2Xn8VNHOScrNosgWnE1rMlWNQCPjD1W_ZZHRKq6iBhmhcGDR5W9pMT46ML8Ekq0k/s400/P1010730.jpg_v2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDqQdPzQyGKZ77weaKLs_tpC8LpXks0l6n-pjavykEWCUH86V3dXQ9JOeDoED7VKVH6M58XV2KvsaX5mvU0wZi-eN5r0F4uP0YrMFWKsuPh8XEVFMjD7or2yGZTTTqZ1s_aKHm1IayrEY/s1600/P1010733.jpg_v2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1202" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDqQdPzQyGKZ77weaKLs_tpC8LpXks0l6n-pjavykEWCUH86V3dXQ9JOeDoED7VKVH6M58XV2KvsaX5mvU0wZi-eN5r0F4uP0YrMFWKsuPh8XEVFMjD7or2yGZTTTqZ1s_aKHm1IayrEY/s400/P1010733.jpg_v2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">The bull was huge with a
giant rack and we wondered if that was Big Boy.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">A man and woman near us
saw them, grabbed a bunch of camera gear from their car and
immediately trotted out into the field. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Which really pissed all of
the people standing behind the sign off because the elk immediately
went back into the trees. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">And the worst part was
their camera had a MASSIVE zoom lens – meaning they could have
taken amazing shots from behind the sign. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">We could still hear them<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">
bugle and a minute later we saw two more over by the Indian Village. </span></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">That's
when we knew the first one we'd seen was indeed Big Boy. He is huge
compared to the other male we saw. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Of
course “camera people” changed direction and scared them off too.
</span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">It
was time for us to move on and we knew “camera people” were going
to keep any more elk from coming out into the field so we got back
into the car and up the mountain we went. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">I saw elk! Which is a pretty cool. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Originally,
we were going to visit <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clingmans_Dome" target="_blank">Clingman's Dome</a> but it's closed for renovation
so we stopped at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newfound_Gap" target="_blank">Newfound Gap</a> right on the border between Tennessee
and North Carolina.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">The
ride and destination were amazing. I enjoyed the views and because we
were on a nice, wide road with guard rails I didn't feel like I was
going to fall of the mountain.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">I
even mentioned to Dad that I'd made the entire ride to 5,000 feet and
hadn't needed a Valium to do it. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">The
view was beyond stunning and I could have stayed there all day, just
looking at the mountains. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">But
we still had miles to go and other things to see. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">I
didn't see this sign until we were leaving and there were cars behind
us so we couldn't stop but I was extremely proud of myself for making
it up there. I don't know who the man in the picture is but I wanted
a picture of the sign.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">From
there we drove into Gatlinburg, enjoying the views and looking
forward to our next adventure. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">The
sun rose and rested at the top of the sky and the first half of day 2
of our 10 day adventure was a success. </span></div>
Sandcastle Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11909850898687059507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6156496346598841450.post-12086498115162638782017-10-10T06:00:00.000-05:002018-06-04T22:49:24.133-05:00We're off to Rome<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Three years ago my Dad, the
Island Girl and I went to Going Caching 2014<span style="color: maroon;">, </span><span style="color: black;">a
large geocaching event in Rome Georgia. </span></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: medium;">One
of the things on my bucket list is to visit the highest point in
every state so on our way to the event we went to <a href="http://www.alapark.com/cheaha-state-park" target="_blank">Cheaha Mountain</a> –
the highest point in Alabama and after the event we were going to
explore the mountains in Georgia, North Carolina and Tennessee. </span></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="http://sandcastlemomma.blogspot.com/2014/10/cheaha-mountain.html" target="_blank">That didn't work out so well. </a></span></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: medium;">And
I regret my decision not to go. </span></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: medium;">So
this year we decided to do the same thing, minus the Island Girl, who
had classes. </span></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: black;">We
left Wednesday morning and headed to Rome. The first </span><span style="color: black;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">part
</span></span><span style="color: black;">of the event started at 6pm so we
left Gulf Breeze about 8am and wandered on up. </span></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: black;">Once
we got into Georgia we got on the </span><span style="color: black;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Appalachian
Highway.</span></span><span style="color: black;"> I've been to the
mountains a few times but they were all before I was even 15 so I
barely remember anything about them. </span></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: black;">I
was in Hawaii in the 80s and definitely remember the mountains there
but they are quite different from the </span><span style="color: black;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Smokies.
</span></span></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The
drive was beautiful. As I marveled at the mountains in the distance
they really seemed to beckon me and I knew right then that I was
going to those mountains – fear of heights or not. </span></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: medium;">We
stopped at an <a href="https://www.ingles-markets.com/" target="_blank">Ingles</a> grocery store north of Blue Ridge to get a deli
lunch, planning to find a picnic spot down the road. </span></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I
am not embarrassed to tell you that I felt like 'country come to
town' walking into that store. </span></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: medium;">It
was massive and at least a ¼ of the entire store was the “deli.”
Except, their deli was more like a buffet restaurant or a food court
in a mall. Every kind of food you can imagine was available. </span></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: medium;">We
picked out our lunches and as we were leaving we talked to an
employee who told us they are only in North Carolina and northern
Georgia. Very sad. I'd LOVE to have a chain of those here in
Northwest Florida.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The
best part was that we got quite a bit of fresh food for $12 – which
is cheaper than a fast food restaurant would have been. And the food
was really good. </span></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Just
a few miles down the road we saw a sign for the Blue Ridge Dam and
turned down that way. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">The
dam was a pretty spot with a picnic table and 2 fly fishermen out in
the reservoir. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiv0YgiKSEjchrkbMN_v8WLAsiE9D2jmGqZWDntSWGAFUjwiLR5rRWTDp0pHbULop1b5EBOrU7hEYfCkwn7Zg3DroYDPR1xQP8JHY_XXu7hMu9O9woUjrTqAhANL0biG_w3VhhZVLSZlU/s1600/P1010716.jpg_v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1202" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiv0YgiKSEjchrkbMN_v8WLAsiE9D2jmGqZWDntSWGAFUjwiLR5rRWTDp0pHbULop1b5EBOrU7hEYfCkwn7Zg3DroYDPR1xQP8JHY_XXu7hMu9O9woUjrTqAhANL0biG_w3VhhZVLSZlU/s400/P1010716.jpg_v1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Dad
and I enjoyed our lunch and after watching the fishermen for a few
minutes we decided it was time to get on the road again. </span>
</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">We
passed the sign pointing to Franklin Georgia – which was founded by
my great x3 grandfather. The Youngest Island Boy's middle name is
Franklin, after that side of my family, so we had to stop and take a
picture of the sign for “his” town. </span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhug8nsopY4dzbRC_mNm_nxg9lstg4nzngdDkUcYRJid_7bhCYafcSPRrYkzoqxDxEnAYID2wL_6RwknTXTKL9DnoWffJUcLl1n70O3yFH30ccpNMighDs5LlcfgTSV0dLnR1PjRoIUhrk/s1600/IMG_4047.jpg_v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1260" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhug8nsopY4dzbRC_mNm_nxg9lstg4nzngdDkUcYRJid_7bhCYafcSPRrYkzoqxDxEnAYID2wL_6RwknTXTKL9DnoWffJUcLl1n70O3yFH30ccpNMighDs5LlcfgTSV0dLnR1PjRoIUhrk/s400/IMG_4047.jpg_v1.jpg" width="315" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">We
grabbed a few easy geocaches as we traveled and we got into Rome
about 4pm. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">We
explored some, visited the Myrtle Hill cemetery and then were off to
the first event. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">The
event was basically to pick up our Going Caching 2017 event packages
and a time to visit with old friends and make some new ones. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">After
a bit we were off to check in to our hotel and get ready for the next
day's activities. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Only
when we walked into the hotel lobby, the weather channel was on and
there was (at the time) Tropical Storm Nate – headed straight for
the Florida panhandle. </span>
</div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7BfrKwl-flBUlBMyRKuuJ0ZxVXx9zgjGB8Gyco9nqCLjg7_fizRn67m7vCXzKS0NTsgEpDgonEfPo_vwFNQjbfh5dZvOpTjjdl9oKxGJE5A8Zz6Pt9yFX6NjbRH8NdZy3jPdMcan49nA/s1600/nate-cone.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="465" data-original-width="620" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7BfrKwl-flBUlBMyRKuuJ0ZxVXx9zgjGB8Gyco9nqCLjg7_fizRn67m7vCXzKS0NTsgEpDgonEfPo_vwFNQjbfh5dZvOpTjjdl9oKxGJE5A8Zz6Pt9yFX6NjbRH8NdZy3jPdMcan49nA/s400/nate-cone.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Damn.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">The
Island King was home with my boys so I knew they would handle any prep
needed but my parents live right on the water and Mom was home alone.
</span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Nate
was still a long way off so we decided to get some sleep and see what
the forecast looked like the next morning. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">The
sun rose and set and day 1 of our 10 day adventure was a success.</span></div>
Sandcastle Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11909850898687059507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6156496346598841450.post-90496281880463063002017-08-28T10:43:00.000-05:002018-05-29T11:06:53.878-05:00Boat Fire Near Crab Island<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">We were in the boat
yesterday when we saw a huge plume of black smoke coming from just
west of the Coast Guard station so we decided to go see what was up. </span>
</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhahGLnHi-ty3d_LDjzO3HPuYboyxweq5z4-AGAO1EOh1Xdoiqb1PP2956EUjurBSyuUALYz4WvazbRg0WbEOUEZWotcjxNBa9UpNLs72GS7TEumoZvDeWFX9QpUTeQjoXsYlHOe5LMvB8/s1600/DSCN6829_v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhahGLnHi-ty3d_LDjzO3HPuYboyxweq5z4-AGAO1EOh1Xdoiqb1PP2956EUjurBSyuUALYz4WvazbRg0WbEOUEZWotcjxNBa9UpNLs72GS7TEumoZvDeWFX9QpUTeQjoXsYlHOe5LMvB8/s400/DSCN6829_v1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjajORQ0AOt_0LwXhrjpeQrDlUSSTOyzFfr8ZuvqSnzrZEmWBY79rtLBHA_C6CQaaWCQ12jMTzfuMIOIp6ghqHcLzW7fDKN2KUF5t4uioyNAGsJQUKKo_dbqEhInWX0-Wj_N6Cz_ZSqwk4/s1600/DSCN6834_v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjajORQ0AOt_0LwXhrjpeQrDlUSSTOyzFfr8ZuvqSnzrZEmWBY79rtLBHA_C6CQaaWCQ12jMTzfuMIOIp6ghqHcLzW7fDKN2KUF5t4uioyNAGsJQUKKo_dbqEhInWX0-Wj_N6Cz_ZSqwk4/s400/DSCN6834_v1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">A small “go-fast” boat
(I'm not sure of the actual name for this type of boat. Some people
call them cigarette boats but around here they're known as go- fast
boats) was completely engulfed in flames near the shore.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLOYpsHuQlb16TScVcXH6BQIptLIev8KDysi961Z23Rt55UZANpyHl9dTeXUjv-WCy8EIEn9ee-0Fp4eTbW-Esl52zirGZXtuQ1dg7BgYZQdy4ipJAucvdjVxafHjRgsoPFmq-LLlyVPU/s1600/IMG_4010_v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLOYpsHuQlb16TScVcXH6BQIptLIev8KDysi961Z23Rt55UZANpyHl9dTeXUjv-WCy8EIEn9ee-0Fp4eTbW-Esl52zirGZXtuQ1dg7BgYZQdy4ipJAucvdjVxafHjRgsoPFmq-LLlyVPU/s400/IMG_4010_v1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj50zmWT5IFgeEWEzF-Rsdry8sd828rXoAJhw6f3G1P89tqRwnSqcI5MdsLRKH5Ew0dKWlaizu1cyyCDJuTpk5dtD0bSipvxA6Uq0y3uxc4rhXFX93bGfql1ed662D_e9ZfgeZ9GOrrIHw/s1600/IMG_4008_v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj50zmWT5IFgeEWEzF-Rsdry8sd828rXoAJhw6f3G1P89tqRwnSqcI5MdsLRKH5Ew0dKWlaizu1cyyCDJuTpk5dtD0bSipvxA6Uq0y3uxc4rhXFX93bGfql1ed662D_e9ZfgeZ9GOrrIHw/s400/IMG_4008_v1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">There were a lot of boats
around but we realized the boat we'd anchored next to was where the
owner of the boat on fire and his two kids had taken refuge. </span>
</div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcqyGuIYaA_fM3mBV3oF6jLotMrFG45lHBvQ00ZIybq_aEgfvMxAqJ-ieXxgj6ta3juuMcHCC6gQwGtOH8lAGrgRcQY-klSzBi8A8igGSkghHZCb_kjnlKoeagJubHAFXQLgE1VueXZJE/s1600/IMG_4015_v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcqyGuIYaA_fM3mBV3oF6jLotMrFG45lHBvQ00ZIybq_aEgfvMxAqJ-ieXxgj6ta3juuMcHCC6gQwGtOH8lAGrgRcQY-klSzBi8A8igGSkghHZCb_kjnlKoeagJubHAFXQLgE1VueXZJE/s400/IMG_4015_v1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Luckily, they were the
only ones aboard and none of them were injured. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">I don't know what happened
but it didn't end well for the boat. </span>
</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Destin Fire Rescue, the
Okaloosa Sheriff's boat and the Coast Guard were already on scene
when we got there and were soon followed by Niceville's Fire Rescue
boat. </span>
</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHQxQnXxDkTbbI3o0BwZGj4snwI_4flJhzohg1n4UzoM0NnldsezekZfNv5hPE_hMyDszf1d8vLdXxIDb5aX_GGTGEggzLi0c1tcKv8jIfSfN8VlDRcmUE4sFA8LJ1qapDZOxcJUkZKNk/s1600/IMG_4018_v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHQxQnXxDkTbbI3o0BwZGj4snwI_4flJhzohg1n4UzoM0NnldsezekZfNv5hPE_hMyDszf1d8vLdXxIDb5aX_GGTGEggzLi0c1tcKv8jIfSfN8VlDRcmUE4sFA8LJ1qapDZOxcJUkZKNk/s400/IMG_4018_v1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKGjjdLmGJU51LoJjsn7f8jVBBaa4i_JhBczzrju3mI9ppzxS7jBdykgVyhp4Mh04KcAwdSOtaUamuk7Q8vRDPeBOBtJzkKooq9rtGHmRoxtEt1rGygoRvDGQNs_rrtCXtxcd_FbiO5so/s1600/IMG_4014_v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKGjjdLmGJU51LoJjsn7f8jVBBaa4i_JhBczzrju3mI9ppzxS7jBdykgVyhp4Mh04KcAwdSOtaUamuk7Q8vRDPeBOBtJzkKooq9rtGHmRoxtEt1rGygoRvDGQNs_rrtCXtxcd_FbiO5so/s400/IMG_4014_v1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Sea Tow showed up and the
Captain spent a while talking to the boat owner so hopefully he's a
member because the cost of removing that boat will be astronomical. </span>
</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitbNS7ixsOlEJKcjOcyEngwz3lPyccmxwRLEbqhV5Zw09GGON9ylnZpug7LNUWDn3pUYIBfMqq6IbbCki2fST6O6Oqom2M0Gw6Seg7uktw8Zffu2haqysY38nzFD_3bEkkNAAT09t9Gv8/s1600/IMG_4016_v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitbNS7ixsOlEJKcjOcyEngwz3lPyccmxwRLEbqhV5Zw09GGON9ylnZpug7LNUWDn3pUYIBfMqq6IbbCki2fST6O6Oqom2M0Gw6Seg7uktw8Zffu2haqysY38nzFD_3bEkkNAAT09t9Gv8/s400/IMG_4016_v1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">It took them quite a while
to put the fire completely out. </span>
</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">I'm really glad everyone
is ok but it sure is sad to watch that happen to someone's boat.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: medium;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xHnvdXHd_Tc" width="560"></iframe></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"> </span>
</div>
Sandcastle Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11909850898687059507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6156496346598841450.post-48093760744251010842017-08-22T15:00:00.001-05:002018-06-13T18:51:24.735-05:00Penelope vs the Lincoln<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">The Island King has a
client who is selling his mother in law's 1980's something Lincoln
Continental and the Island King wants that car really bad. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs5BPKDmyrCtzZ_wr2DKfa-KLHD_zkumJo65-2RHhMW9-xmzhQSfhOZPj8tS9wId6RLQtfMgpvol92USMGYttPa2rp9vcWBeLxoSBe0SJGTnrn0Ed3OpQUpJDv5gMelvEwNrB16XfVFw0/s1600/IMG_3990.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs5BPKDmyrCtzZ_wr2DKfa-KLHD_zkumJo65-2RHhMW9-xmzhQSfhOZPj8tS9wId6RLQtfMgpvol92USMGYttPa2rp9vcWBeLxoSBe0SJGTnrn0Ed3OpQUpJDv5gMelvEwNrB16XfVFw0/s400/IMG_3990.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglwn0FXyQJjEP9IwcO68RvlPF4VRZnAFqG8HYKwHoLdhzf0yANfQfrT-kZIkuqM0n0YRI3Fa8qOvaNZWFQpGqYbvk_PXW6Nowip9qVHdzEwrpcMw9Go1SW4akpMAtQrG-NUf1vcJlBzqo/s1600/IMG_3991.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglwn0FXyQJjEP9IwcO68RvlPF4VRZnAFqG8HYKwHoLdhzf0yANfQfrT-kZIkuqM0n0YRI3Fa8qOvaNZWFQpGqYbvk_PXW6Nowip9qVHdzEwrpcMw9Go1SW4akpMAtQrG-NUf1vcJlBzqo/s400/IMG_3991.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbZsd8U2I1Eh__k1InJttMrrJIgtN-R27_hs6Yuy3eobQF9WZOJojFzxo628WLQlj1gb6wRDeqdw3eGgt1KyNSeMdLe4hVUEnNCuJbBRwsRDxWPO87DyqlcSSxtOWrLihMhDlfphDiGBU/s1600/IMG_3993.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbZsd8U2I1Eh__k1InJttMrrJIgtN-R27_hs6Yuy3eobQF9WZOJojFzxo628WLQlj1gb6wRDeqdw3eGgt1KyNSeMdLe4hVUEnNCuJbBRwsRDxWPO87DyqlcSSxtOWrLihMhDlfphDiGBU/s400/IMG_3993.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">He says he'll look “cool”
driving around in it and the fact that it's an antique will make it
even cooler. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">I don't agree. This car
isn't your typical “cool” car and frankly I think he'll look like
a nut when he's driving it. And just being old doesn't necessarily
make something an antique. Sometimes old is just old. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">We were on our way home
the other night and he started talking about buying that car again. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
“<span style="font-size: medium;">Come on man, I'm
serious when I tell you it's not a cool car and you won't look cool
driving it – you'll just look crazy,”</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">He looks at me in complete
shock and says “You drive around with a plastic pig on your dash
and stick it out the window to oink at people when you're mad. I'm
not sure you have any room to talk about crazy.”</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Ok, so the pig thing is
true. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">I have Penelope, my ride
or die pig that lives on my dash. And she does oink if you squeeze
her. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiytEpe4H2n1gYK2m9FrL7a2RUL8EPiroGxTcNaKf0-cgMwswWXTTFcjCXac04KppcQX6c5t9ufGS54RbrRHLXJbrEGyge3xQiHOMT4JCrMiu6TEx1mK85CoasqiiQNCDSwrU1T2_Xth5E/s1600/IMG_3989.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiytEpe4H2n1gYK2m9FrL7a2RUL8EPiroGxTcNaKf0-cgMwswWXTTFcjCXac04KppcQX6c5t9ufGS54RbrRHLXJbrEGyge3xQiHOMT4JCrMiu6TEx1mK85CoasqiiQNCDSwrU1T2_Xth5E/s400/IMG_3989.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">She's absolutely adorable
and I've found that when I start feeling road rage and want to yell
bad words at people, I stick her out the window and make her oink at
them. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">That makes me laugh which
causes my road rage to go away. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">I told him that in a way, Penelope
is a service pig and that an old Lincoln is not, so they aren't the
same thing. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">We were still arguing when
we got home and I asked the Island Girl what she thought. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
“<span style="font-size: medium;">You're both crazy.”
was her answer.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">She might be right but
that's probably why the Island King and I get along.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Crazy understands crazy.</span></div>
Sandcastle Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11909850898687059507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6156496346598841450.post-44729754605674624552017-08-20T14:51:00.000-05:002018-06-01T23:54:45.415-05:00Out of Gas<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">After our boat's steering
cable broke on Memorial Day we brought the boat home and waited
until we could afford to get it fixed. </span>
<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmeTGMIhjTXnKUiVpzqJcH5rdk0l2PR3prRU-xtOueRikAo-r1-UPfDayXYM0W63Q4lqf-Qb3I8LD3nOqocIdK-GvdbgtMHn8xfmSRBmk6Vy0kYCxCWTBJdDw3uuQsvxkAzlf2rn3EbAU/s1600/IMG_3722_v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1002" data-original-width="1056" height="378" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmeTGMIhjTXnKUiVpzqJcH5rdk0l2PR3prRU-xtOueRikAo-r1-UPfDayXYM0W63Q4lqf-Qb3I8LD3nOqocIdK-GvdbgtMHn8xfmSRBmk6Vy0kYCxCWTBJdDw3uuQsvxkAzlf2rn3EbAU/s400/IMG_3722_v1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: medium;"></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Time went by and we
managed to get it into the shop to have the cable replaced, a new
relay switch on the foot and a 100 hour service done. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">This is the busy season
for boat repair so we expected it to be in the shop for a while. I
don't know how the mechanic got it done so fast but we dropped it off
on Thursday and on the following Monday it was ready. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">The Island King and I were
on our way home from running errands when the guy called to tell us
the boat was ready and even though it was 4:30 in the afternoon we
changed plans, picked up the boat and were on the water an hour
later. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">The Island King tells me
that he wants to run the ½ tank of gas in the motor out so he can
fill it up with fresh gas since it's been serviced. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Ok.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">We went to our favorite
spot along Okaloosa Island to watch the sunset.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYUXlWqooUL446Zu5YpvEaJ1tGfL8G0hSwDuiOobA5jqcfeRpru38jjH0zh5lqlwERdjSDobWPn10tg1SrQomZG8QTxpay94_7c5iWXuTYJW3pxpT7qkukbYvGVbiyz9GwP8HnUOdxc68/s1600/v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="1060" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYUXlWqooUL446Zu5YpvEaJ1tGfL8G0hSwDuiOobA5jqcfeRpru38jjH0zh5lqlwERdjSDobWPn10tg1SrQomZG8QTxpay94_7c5iWXuTYJW3pxpT7qkukbYvGVbiyz9GwP8HnUOdxc68/s400/v1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: medium;"></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">The water was calm
and after the sun set we decided to make a run from Brook's Bridge to
the Midbay Bridge and then back to the boat ramp. </span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
“<span style="font-size: medium;">That should put us back
at the ramp on just about empty” he says. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Ok.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">So we cruised over to
Brook's Bridge, turned around and then we were off, flying across the
Bay. </span>
<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5AajDQCLu7XLPcqnFgbtDW4pn-QHQ0dfAs-6VkphyphenhyphenzWHeGZNESrLs9njPtZduKa6-U6DzJv4-atUGxVijJYZcUmnxP2lPUvECoNXnpBZHo3sbD4eCN4x0lkBbWap7vERCfCpctyASY_o/s1600/v2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="508" data-original-width="1112" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5AajDQCLu7XLPcqnFgbtDW4pn-QHQ0dfAs-6VkphyphenhyphenzWHeGZNESrLs9njPtZduKa6-U6DzJv4-atUGxVijJYZcUmnxP2lPUvECoNXnpBZHo3sbD4eCN4x0lkBbWap7vERCfCpctyASY_o/s400/v2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu0oft6o6qIL2bmRo3cmOUCa3-g7IOJCvyX0Sb9F99XRIUOaqcwPibon0Y61D2CnIEH2z2UKGFZn-tRi3kUu_j6A2YCHBWIEBKtUlOIMej92_SCxTZURG4cXozsIiY2vXyGL0I7WWSHlw/s1600/v5_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="514" data-original-width="1114" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu0oft6o6qIL2bmRo3cmOUCa3-g7IOJCvyX0Sb9F99XRIUOaqcwPibon0Y61D2CnIEH2z2UKGFZn-tRi3kUu_j6A2YCHBWIEBKtUlOIMej92_SCxTZURG4cXozsIiY2vXyGL0I7WWSHlw/s400/v5_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: medium;"></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">We passed a tug pushing
three loaded barges right near Brook's Bridge but he was in our rear
view mirror in a matter of minutes. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">I absolutely LOVE riding
in the boat at night. The moon was full and the water was calm and we
thoroughly enjoyed our ride.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">As we came up to the
Midbay Bridge it looked like it was completely foggy on the other
side. We knew it was an illusion from the moonlight but we couldn't
resist flying under the bridge into what looked like an abyss. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Of course it wasn't an
abyss and as soon as we were under the bridge the foggy abyss look
disappeared and everything looked normal again. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">We slowed to an idle for a
minute and the Island King told me to look at the gas gauge. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">The needle was bouncing
back and forth between a ¼ tank and empty. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
“<span style="font-size: medium;">Which one do you
believe?” he asked. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Hmmm. Probably empty
because it's bouncing which means that when the bow goes up the tiny
bit of gas we have left goes back into the tank and when the bow is
down the gauge runs back to empty since there's no gas in the tank.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Time to head back to the
boat ramp. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Except...</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">As soon as he put the boat
in gear it died. He tried it a few more times and it would spit and
sputter and then die. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">AND the gas gauge was no
longer bouncing back and forth – it was firmly planted on empty. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">We were standing there
kind of looking at each other when I remembered the barge we'd passed
earlier. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Damn. We're floating in
the middle of the channel just east of the bridge and I know for a
fact that barge will be coming along shortly. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">He managed to get it
cranked one last time and we made it close to the edge of the
channel, but not out of it, before it died. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">He dropped the anchor to
keep us from drifting but this was the best we could do as far as
getting out of the way. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">We were both a little
nervous because we knew that once the barge came under the bridge
he'd have to make a right turn to stay in the channel but because of
where we were anchored he'd have to make a HARD right turn. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Which would not be easy
for a tug pushing three barges that were loaded to the waterline.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">It was about then that I
saw the giant spot light from the tug sweep the bridge. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Crap. We've got about
fifteen minutes before he gets to us. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">As we're watching the
tug's light, our running lights went out right in front of us. The
mast light was still working but one minute we had running lights and
the very next minute we didn't. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">This is REALLY bad. We
were pretty sure the barge would be able to make it around us but now
we have no running lights so all they'll be able to see is a mast
light.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Thank God the Island King
keeps a small box on the boat with extra lights and the tools needed
to change them. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Within minutes he'd
replaced the lights and we could be seen again. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">He called Sea Tow to bring
us some gas and was told it would be about 45 minutes before they got
to us. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">The Sea Tow captain asked
if we had our lights on and we happily told him yes. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">We laughed a little
because you'd have to be crazy to sit out there with no lights on and
we were extremely glad ours were now working. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Meanwhile, the barge is
getting closer and closer. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Because we were so close
to where he needed to pass I walked over to the VHF radio to hail the
captain. I wanted to tell him why we were anchored so close to where
he needed to go and to please watch out for us as he made his turn
under the bridge. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">And believe it or not –
the damn thing was dead. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Really??????</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">The Island King tells me
that it's ok because most captains are using cell phones these days
so it's no big deal if our radio doesn't work. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">No big deal? Cell phones?</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">I might have yelled at him
a little when I told him that the cell phone thing might be true but
that I didn't have the tug boat captain's phone number and that I'd
REALLY like to talk to him. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">As the barge got closer he
trained his flood light on us and it never moved. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">I know he was thinking
that we were fishing or something and that we'd see his light and
realize we needed to move so he had better maneuverability coming out
from under the bridge.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Only we couldn't move so
we just sat there hoping like hell he didn't hit us.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">We did grab two life
jackets out of the hatch and two floats and decided that if it looked
like he was going to hit us we were going over the side and swimming
like hell towards the shore. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">We're both fat and out of
shape but we knew all we had to do was get far enough away from the
boat to avoid any debris from the collision and not to get sucked
under by the barge. From there we could rest on our floats and kick
our way to shore. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Oddly, I was nervous but
not scared. I'd studied the channel markers with my light and really
believed the barge had enough room to clear us and still make his
turn but I knew he wasn't happy about it. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">The barge came under the
bridge and cleared us by about 50 yards but the captain blew his horn
at us and kept one light trained on us while he had another spotting
the channel markers. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">I swear I could feel the
stink eye coming right out of that light. He's used to people getting
out of his way – and rightly so – but there was nothing we could
do. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">If our radio worked I
could have talked to him and he probably wouldn't have wanted to run
over us. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Whew. Near disaster
averted. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Now all we had to do was
wait for Sea Tow. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">We had sandwiches, chips,
drinks, a radio (useful only for listening to music by the way) a
warm breeze and a gently rocking boat so the waiting was heaven. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">The Island King pointed
out that I'm always saying that getting stuck is an adventure and
that he had to admit that now that the barge was gone this was the
best “crazy adventure” I'd dragged him on in a long time. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Wait. What? </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">I reminded him that HE
wanted to run all of the gas out of the boat and that HE
miscalculated how much gas we'd need to get back and that HE should
have brought along a gas can in case his calculations were off AND
this was his idea not mine!</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">I actually enjoyed the
look on his face when it hit home that he was the one in charge of
this <a href="http://sandcastlemomma.blogspot.com/2016/04/a-donner-party-canoeing-trip-on-shoal.html" target="_blank">Donner Party Mission</a>, not me. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Sea Tow arrived and the
first thing the Captain said was “I bet you made that Tug Captain
nervous.”</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Not as nervous as he made
us!</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">The Captain tells us that
he's glad we were able to make it as close to the edge of the channel
as possible and that we had our lights on. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">He then talked about the
many “idiots” that he helps that don't drop an anchor and are
drifting away as he's trying to get to them, or the ones who break
down at night, do drop their anchor but turn off all of their lights.
</span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">The Island King and I are
feeling pleased with ourselves that this Captain doesn't think we're
idiots. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Until the Island King
actually told the man he was trying to run the boat out of gas and
miscalculated!</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">I was going to go with
“gas gauge must be broken” but no, he tells him that he wanted to
run out of gas. Needless to say, the Captain looked at him, laughed
and said “maybe bringing extra gas would have been a good back up
plan.”</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Bwaaahaaaa</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">He then hands the Island
King a regular gas can with a long, odd shaped nozzle with a valve on
it. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">He's explaining that this
is what they use in NASCAR because it transfers gas really fast –
which he needs to be able to do in rough seas. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">He tells him to put his
thumb over a hole in the gas can, put the nozzle into our tank, turn
the valve and then move his thumb off of the hole. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Except our gas cap is at
an odd angle on the side of our helm and the Island King was busy
trying to figure out how to get the long nozzle into the hole so he
wasn't listening to the Captain. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">The Captain handed him the
can and the Island King managed to get the nozzle into the hole but
then he just started lifting the can and since he didn't cover the
hole with his thumb, gas went everywhere. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">The Captain explains again
but the Island King has noticed the valve and is trying to figure it
out so he isn't listening and again starts to pour the gas without
putting his thumb over the hole. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Gas goes everywhere, the
Captain sighs and once again explains the entire thing. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">This time the Island King
is paying attention, gets the concept and successfully pours the gas
into our tank.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Ok, so now we've lost a
lot of credibility with the Captain but he still doesn't seem to
think we're complete idiots. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">He's going home the way we
are so he says he'll follow us to the bayou just in case we have any
more trouble. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Off we go, under the
bridge and towards home. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">I sweep the water ahead of
us and the Island King snarks at me to stop with the light because I
wasn't doing it right. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">I'm not even going to
defend myself on this one. Unless you're facing the back of the boat
it's pretty damn hard to “do it wrong.”</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
“<span style="font-size: medium;">Fine (bad word), take
us home.”</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Not two minutes later we
look over and are passing a non blinking can with about 100 feet to
spare. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">There may or may not have
been some cussing on my part and I immediately picked up the light
and started sweeping the channel again.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">The Island King was more
than a little surprised himself and said “I bet the Sea Tow Captain
just said “Damn that was close.”</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">He doesn't say anything
else about my sweeping the channel but after a couple of minutes
we're both looking at the markers and realize that since we never
come this way, nothing looks familiar. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">So we get to the marker
for the first bayou and head in towards it. It didn't take but a
minute to realize this wasn't the right bayou so we went a little
farther back out into the channel and continued onward. </span>
<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJaSA1p9pAnsl5YIIwZYdYvyANpGF4FDKGqsuSLhQEPGXrc-kuRNXct2NB2VPx0bz5lZhiKN9ZDHwQZZOG1_8ierVGnVvNg4hZR7THfz-f9AoxXXHmRvQe4nD_vycRdIw_czGJASpjKdA/s1600/v8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="523" data-original-width="1115" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJaSA1p9pAnsl5YIIwZYdYvyANpGF4FDKGqsuSLhQEPGXrc-kuRNXct2NB2VPx0bz5lZhiKN9ZDHwQZZOG1_8ierVGnVvNg4hZR7THfz-f9AoxXXHmRvQe4nD_vycRdIw_czGJASpjKdA/s400/v8.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: medium;"></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">We're scanning the
shoreline looking for something familiar and nothing looks right. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">I've always said that I
could find Joe's Bayou because there's a water tower right at the end
of it that has a blinking red light on it. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">I see the water tower and
tell the Island King that's where we need to go. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">He doesn't agree but once
I explained the water tower theory to him he agreed this was it and
turned in. </span>
<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYfopwI7F1s8aeFnrWa9nqHk8HVkOtG5U-EqG2d2wrUGPIaExvkO8n3P8e-JyJfPC-qpMvQehPqTZM9j9OkZxWedN5w3UtedyJXJJ7XG9UdeH7Hgglzf6izLLKj72l1ugXfOsPOYaswWY/s1600/v9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="523" data-original-width="1115" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYfopwI7F1s8aeFnrWa9nqHk8HVkOtG5U-EqG2d2wrUGPIaExvkO8n3P8e-JyJfPC-qpMvQehPqTZM9j9OkZxWedN5w3UtedyJXJJ7XG9UdeH7Hgglzf6izLLKj72l1ugXfOsPOYaswWY/s400/v9.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: medium;"></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Meanwhile, Sea Tow has
stopped out in the channel and is just idling there, thinking who
knows what. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">We get closer to the bayou
and realize it's not the right one either. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Well I'll be. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">This bayou has a water
tower at the end of it too. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">We turn around and cruise
back out into the channel, where Sea Tow is waiting. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
“<span style="font-size: medium;">Just call the Captain
and ask where the damn bayou is!”</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Of course, we had his
number since we'd talked to him earlier when we called for help.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">The Island King called him
and blamed it all on me, saying that I made him call because I
thought we were lost.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Which is pretty funny if
you think about it. I've been with this man for 30 years and I've
NEVER been able to make him do something he didn't want to do. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Ok so by man code you have
to blame me to save face with the Captain. I don't care. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">I know now that the
Captain DOES believe we're complete idiots and it just didn't matter,
I just wanted to find Joe's Bayou. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">The Captain tells him that
he'll lead so we get behind him and continue on. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">We both kept trying to
decide what was what on the shore but just never could. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Until we came around the
point and suddenly we were back in home territory and everything
looked familiar. </span>
<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqsPtPo7TZzCc5UfwDOL3mQnhUnCFSl_0_xK4euExL-D_v_k_NT9WNv1S5bbIqyQ3QEPZ6eV1pqbx5sInFM8ykd0ps530K53OCB9FqIWNYZwVEuB_EcvdTW4SsEY8NY_dx3a4w7YBZxYs/s1600/5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="513" data-original-width="1113" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqsPtPo7TZzCc5UfwDOL3mQnhUnCFSl_0_xK4euExL-D_v_k_NT9WNv1S5bbIqyQ3QEPZ6eV1pqbx5sInFM8ykd0ps530K53OCB9FqIWNYZwVEuB_EcvdTW4SsEY8NY_dx3a4w7YBZxYs/s400/5.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: medium;"></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Sea Tow idled in the
channel and pointed his light on the markers at the entrance of the
bayou.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">That fact that he sat
there with his light pointing the way until we were well into the
bayou proved my assumption that he believed we were idiots had to be
true. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Finally, hours later, we
made it back to the ramp and home. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">The Island King has
finally admitted that taking an extra gas can would have been a good
idea but he refuses to admit that he had no idea where the bayou was
either and that while I may have suggested it, he called the Captain
for directions on his own accord. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Later, one of the kids
asked why we didn't pull gps up on our phones and see where we were
in relation to the shoreline but that didn't actually occur to either
one of us. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">The good news is, we had a
fun night on the water, we accomplished the mission of running all of
the gas out of the boat and we're a member of Sea Tow so we didn't
have to pay the $300.00 they charge non members who run out of gas at
10:00 on a Monday night. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">The better news is that
the new VHF radio and the navigational system/bottom finder we
ordered will be here this week.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Boat captains might be
using cell phones these days but I'm positive they still have VHF so
they can talk to people like me. And since we can't remember to use
our phone's map, we've decided to go with old fashioned waterway
navigation. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Hopefully, we won't need
them but we'll have them if we do.</span></div>
Sandcastle Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11909850898687059507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6156496346598841450.post-52075789957809961072017-06-23T17:45:00.001-05:002018-05-29T11:07:42.360-05:00Father's Day on the Blackwater River<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">On Father's Day we decided
to take the Island King up to the Blackwater River for a day of
paddling and playing. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">We packed up our kayaks
and his canoe (he says the Indian in him whispers that he needs to be
in a canoe not a yak) grabbed the Youngest Island Boy's girlfriend,
Miss Mocha and her brother, Astronaut John and off we went. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">On our drive up there were
two crows flying around and they seemed to be following us. No matter
how far down the Interstate we drove, they flew along, circling
trees, resting and then catching up with us. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">I jokingly told the Island
King that crows following you is a “harbinger of death.”</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Unless you're my cousin MG
who has a crow that comes to her window every day to chat with her. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">We put in about 4 miles
upstream from the pull out spot and down the river we floated. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">The river was a little
high but there were still plenty of sandbars to stop and play on. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHxRdqYO-kQ92a6rfx00hNSR5N1bXAKx3LQpbeqNAp3oiQxnLS0qaT5-cdMM4lAYjiFvXQonHHZmwSPKHq1E5qWhfw19s_-hNDhP9bTn8VfGMKmxbNUP87dgb_hyVlYsrBj2ELvwCkCnA/s1600/IMG_3764_v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHxRdqYO-kQ92a6rfx00hNSR5N1bXAKx3LQpbeqNAp3oiQxnLS0qaT5-cdMM4lAYjiFvXQonHHZmwSPKHq1E5qWhfw19s_-hNDhP9bTn8VfGMKmxbNUP87dgb_hyVlYsrBj2ELvwCkCnA/s400/IMG_3764_v1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Being Father's Day I
expected more people on the river but there weren't that many folks
out there. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">A few groups from
Blackwater Canoe Rentals came by in tubes and there were several
groups of locals messing around but we had a lot of time just
floating along by ourselves. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">This was the first time
Miss Mocha has been kayaking and her and the Youngest had some
serious trouble getting in sync with their paddles. I thought for
sure one of them was going to konk the other on the head but they
finally managed to get a rhythm going and luckily there were no head
injuries. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikctJGyUQPGBeHHLpVC2caLxSIPWtrCFAQwp-1U_B46ih4YSvVnotNSiJp4ysjsZD8RFOccyjIsMQ27x7X51M3osJvj9h6VLkl-uT7JQb41N0URmhUc-oQ13FIYotPnCI_l5R73Yhyphenhyphen4P8/s1600/DSCN6760_v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikctJGyUQPGBeHHLpVC2caLxSIPWtrCFAQwp-1U_B46ih4YSvVnotNSiJp4ysjsZD8RFOccyjIsMQ27x7X51M3osJvj9h6VLkl-uT7JQb41N0URmhUc-oQ13FIYotPnCI_l5R73Yhyphenhyphen4P8/s400/DSCN6760_v1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">We hadn't been on the
river for long when two crows – which I am positive were the same
ones who followed us on the Interstate – showed up.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">They circled us for a LONG
time and this one kept landing on trees near me and then crowing at
the top of his lungs. I have no idea what he was
saying but it was slightly unnerving after me joking about them
warning of death. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">I sat still, listened to
what he was saying and after a few minutes he flew off and we didn't
see him or his friend for the rest of the day. </span>
<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: medium;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KosZS_k9o9E" width="560"></iframe></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">I guess he had something
on his mind and once he was able to tell me about it, he was off to
<strike>bother</strike> speak to someone else. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">I don't speak crow so I
have no idea what he said.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">We stopped on several
sandbars to swim and then picked a big bar to have a picnic lunch on.
</span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">It just so happened that
the sandbar we had our picnic on was directly across from a big bluff
so we got to watch a family do some bluff jumping. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8nwu3C8BMZ7zVAAAkeDWVU9MqexsUoR2kmqedUgeUCLMyk_d1AwjCt2n0nDZnhO8NUiDWquHrx07AL6VGdhrO1M0o6uTXiPkZB6rHITZwZIKmcQQCc-4yHQ389vjLebYUCpwV02Cyvx4/s1600/DSCN6807_v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8nwu3C8BMZ7zVAAAkeDWVU9MqexsUoR2kmqedUgeUCLMyk_d1AwjCt2n0nDZnhO8NUiDWquHrx07AL6VGdhrO1M0o6uTXiPkZB6rHITZwZIKmcQQCc-4yHQ389vjLebYUCpwV02Cyvx4/s400/DSCN6807_v1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">They had 3 generations of
men, a 70 year old grandad, his two sons and one of their sons and
let me tell you, granddad put those young ones to shame. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">He climbed straight up
that bluff like a spider monkey, jumped in the river and then did it
again. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">It didn't take long before
the younger generation realized they couldn't let grandpa show them
up so they all climbed up the bluff, lined up and took the plunge
together. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: medium;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/sOQnRh6Nojg" width="560"></iframe></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: medium;">I noticed the Island King
and the Island Girl with their heads together, whispering something
and I knew they were going to be the next ones to jump off the bluff.
</span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">They tried to talk the
rest of us into jumping as well but the Youngest, Miss Mocha,
Astronaut John and I all have better sense so we decided watching
would be good enough for us. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">The bluff was about 15
feet above the water and after he jumped the Island King told me that
15 feet is just far enough for you to have time to change your mind
before hitting the water. Of course at that point there's no going
back so no matter what your mind tells you, your body is going to hit
the water. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2MBiI7jI-IQ" width="560"></iframe></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">They enjoyed the jump but
both of them agreed it was a one time thing and they didn't need to
do it again. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">We spent all day on the
river and pulled into the pickup spot about 5:30. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMaEvz3fAjc94GMPIGIUJuMDTR5io9Uu8x21S2rZmqv_etQPsSl9K8g6ixOfYXisqqVgHav_FZFkiIL3ahGSf33BpJnbdfWH0n1gn6AF2iRUh6X7Ary5eaMmmd-xyqe8Z1zj0VEAA5BcA/s1600/DSCN6824_v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMaEvz3fAjc94GMPIGIUJuMDTR5io9Uu8x21S2rZmqv_etQPsSl9K8g6ixOfYXisqqVgHav_FZFkiIL3ahGSf33BpJnbdfWH0n1gn6AF2iRUh6X7Ary5eaMmmd-xyqe8Z1zj0VEAA5BcA/s400/DSCN6824_v1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">When we got there a
Blackwater State Park ranger was there and everyone was looking down
river. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">I walked up just in time
to hear that a woman had gone past the pickup spot with no tube, yak
or floating contraption of any kind. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">The Park Ranger was on his
radio calling for a search vessel so I offered to take my yak and
head down stream to see if I could find her. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">He agreed since it was
going to take a while for the search vessel to arrive but just as I
was about to get into my yak a man walked up and told the park ranger
that the woman was his wife and that she was sitting on the other
side of the river on a sandbar just around the bend and that she
wouldn't come back because she was mad at him. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">The park ranger walked
across the bridge and then we watched as he blazed a trail along the
river down to the sandbar where the woman was sitting. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">He was just a cussing as
he was chopping branches and clearing a path but that was nothing
compared to the cussing the woman did when he made her walk back with
him. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">They got to bridge where
her husband was waiting and the two of them had a huge screaming
fight – which ended with a hug and her getting in the truck with
him.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">The ranger just stood
there shaking his head and when I asked if it had been a rough day he
said “Well, the domestic disputes are a common thing but since no
one drowned today I guess it was a good day.”</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">The Island King enjoyed
his Father's Day and even though the crows were watching us nothing
bad happened. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">It was a wonderful,
relaxing day and I always enjoy taking someone who's never been. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoUeaOSDG2jrBVoKodX17dFG3MGPqdjiuXOCXIdn8PaNHzDoQb7HWoMMgkn3o3RUNHbgj6cC0fp6hX7R-SXyKXJ_DhOJLQYEYPQtJbp5WRJonx1bBdPWERbLTOFWsaetg4S-XlbfMSYf4/s1600/DSCN6813_v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoUeaOSDG2jrBVoKodX17dFG3MGPqdjiuXOCXIdn8PaNHzDoQb7HWoMMgkn3o3RUNHbgj6cC0fp6hX7R-SXyKXJ_DhOJLQYEYPQtJbp5WRJonx1bBdPWERbLTOFWsaetg4S-XlbfMSYf4/s400/DSCN6813_v1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Most people only think of
the coast when they think of Florida but there is an absolute
paradise hidden in the woods and I love watching people fall in love
with that part as well. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkQr2h1X7hwMidXsvMZauJCRH_zmN-oWi6ZiMk8IPA_zLGhYalU7sXWaeqPT5T3FilTA9yeH-3wF5RDGb1y2kbK9u6QCix2edvPmBdZxlSyIF7NmwQPahDQmkNobwTGiAAzJLBuXGeQa0/s1600/DSCN6758_v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkQr2h1X7hwMidXsvMZauJCRH_zmN-oWi6ZiMk8IPA_zLGhYalU7sXWaeqPT5T3FilTA9yeH-3wF5RDGb1y2kbK9u6QCix2edvPmBdZxlSyIF7NmwQPahDQmkNobwTGiAAzJLBuXGeQa0/s400/DSCN6758_v1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">And as usual, I can't wait
to go back.</span></div>
Sandcastle Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11909850898687059507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6156496346598841450.post-47596051581009329782017-06-01T07:00:00.000-05:002018-06-14T00:26:11.344-05:00Mayday<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">By definition the
international word for distress is Mayday.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Well, that seemed to be
the word of the day for the ENTIRE month of May.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">We started the month off
with the refrigerator breaking. And because the fridge is seventeen years
old, the part needed to fix it couldn't be found. </span>
<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoGzGfnie7cBPcs51smebFZe_qEnbsGObwU9ixLXhmRSdP_RCqq3Kw8yuMwfGg1fa4w8Ad5gN4JtW3ArJzD3XsywYkyeNFfvVzVtW5j5fTUgwtx-Oj9vepmTROHxJTNkM8b06AxhfDeik/s1600/IMG_3680_v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoGzGfnie7cBPcs51smebFZe_qEnbsGObwU9ixLXhmRSdP_RCqq3Kw8yuMwfGg1fa4w8Ad5gN4JtW3ArJzD3XsywYkyeNFfvVzVtW5j5fTUgwtx-Oj9vepmTROHxJTNkM8b06AxhfDeik/s1600/IMG_3680_v1.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: medium;"></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">We lived out of coolers
for almost a week while calling every appliance part store known to man
trying to find the part we needed. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Once we realized there was
no fixing ours we were off to buy a new one – which was a shocking
experience. Obviously it's been a long time since I've bought a
fridge and I had no idea they cost as much as a small car. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Not long after, I sent the
Oldest Island Boy out to mow the grass and the lawnmower died. He and
the Island King worked on it for quite a while but it too was beyond
repair. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">While they were working on
the lawn mower, the Youngest and I went to Chick-Fil-A to get dinner
and as soon as we pulled away from the drive-through steam starting
pouring out from under the hood. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">We called the Island King
and he showed up, added some water and limped the truck home. One of
the hoses had broken and needed to be replaced. </span>
<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgczmnTSfU6l4hZnx5CRA4MaMjXI2sK77dPQmL6hAoaBbOVC45y-bpxVPOPaIv-_YANX7HjM6dyZkD0OKafXvUHQST3sIWDClqPY4CymnnDb3-FROROKrp7VLJpPHRYtTm0drQdoJJoETI/s1600/IMG_3648_v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgczmnTSfU6l4hZnx5CRA4MaMjXI2sK77dPQmL6hAoaBbOVC45y-bpxVPOPaIv-_YANX7HjM6dyZkD0OKafXvUHQST3sIWDClqPY4CymnnDb3-FROROKrp7VLJpPHRYtTm0drQdoJJoETI/s1600/IMG_3648_v1.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: medium;"></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">A few days later the
kitchen sink backed up and no matter what he did the Island King
couldn't get it unclogged. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">We've had a LOT of
plumbing problems in this house so we added an access panel on the
outside of the kitchen wall so the Island King can get to it. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Of course the clog
couldn't be resolved so until a plumber can come he left the cap off
the pipe and now my kitchen sink drains into the side yard. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">After all of that I
decided we needed a great day on the water so we loaded the boat with
kids, food and a ton of stuff and left the dock on Sunday, headed for
the beach. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Our plan was to take the
boat to the beach, spend the day playing in the water and then watch
the Memorial Day fireworks before coming home that night. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Except...</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">We launched the boat, left
the dock and just as we came out of the bayou the steering cable on
the boat broke. </span>
<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSvHMiNcX1Lx2luG6Nf2eOJYC810m5CJpbe9LgzcEp4WRBu69b54CXIPg0FrL1xfqYMKOyQgl50SWzlf9elH2R_aSqLXBt7zTyHhIEm2qhBwAAwRZ898LitUFl-zgvxPmWD-KGo60e3IE/s1600/IMG_3722_v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1002" data-original-width="1056" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSvHMiNcX1Lx2luG6Nf2eOJYC810m5CJpbe9LgzcEp4WRBu69b54CXIPg0FrL1xfqYMKOyQgl50SWzlf9elH2R_aSqLXBt7zTyHhIEm2qhBwAAwRZ898LitUFl-zgvxPmWD-KGo60e3IE/s1600/IMG_3722_v1.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">We made it to shallow
water near the fishing pier and dropped the anchor.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF0YoPqVfW9GnqMP_vbhkuTLjECGpHNuQsa-BnARNaowvALtyzX_jrTt6KVRAwY4nPjuLz5uxXVem62kyfKO7Pay7Khe3nD3TIMe2C6062idjur77WpReabCEttF6DC7Rn7V_1YqTPLKA/s1600/IMG_3717_v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF0YoPqVfW9GnqMP_vbhkuTLjECGpHNuQsa-BnARNaowvALtyzX_jrTt6KVRAwY4nPjuLz5uxXVem62kyfKO7Pay7Khe3nD3TIMe2C6062idjur77WpReabCEttF6DC7Rn7V_1YqTPLKA/s1600/IMG_3717_v1.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: medium;"></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">The cable is toast and we
knew we were going to have to call Sea Tow to take us back to the
boat ramp. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">But, being one of the
busiest boat days of the season, Sea Tow was busy so we were going to
have to wait a while. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">We were anchored down the
street from our house so the kids bailed and the Island King and I
sat there, “enjoying” our day in the boat. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIYyv_sY2kpL4t1pSSkERLehJ0Ro36rSsTeIrPdBfrusB6J1fu3CCD_YOBqKzfjMmlvPb_FFCTPIQW9Y8fwrG2jF_0Y9gFIuqfah0z_uv33LTvgQhdBdwgFYPDhh7YdprWUg43V6AcbTE/s1600/IMG_3713_v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIYyv_sY2kpL4t1pSSkERLehJ0Ro36rSsTeIrPdBfrusB6J1fu3CCD_YOBqKzfjMmlvPb_FFCTPIQW9Y8fwrG2jF_0Y9gFIuqfah0z_uv33LTvgQhdBdwgFYPDhh7YdprWUg43V6AcbTE/s1600/IMG_3713_v1.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">When Sea Tow showed up they towed us back to the boat ramp and we pulled the boat and headed
home. </span>
<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5PPtKt3s_5gUnD5TIFxwk9aTTaYGHnsxwjBtwqZPfSdlj3CoQqcU8ev7OvKOTtEEKaENIKDlaZg_-zoX5btQhC6GlM3UgrXsB1AhQYCYafJ95LG6PQZNMaeagw9BG3d4xUBlFCVXO8xA/s1600/IMG_3718_v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5PPtKt3s_5gUnD5TIFxwk9aTTaYGHnsxwjBtwqZPfSdlj3CoQqcU8ev7OvKOTtEEKaENIKDlaZg_-zoX5btQhC6GlM3UgrXsB1AhQYCYafJ95LG6PQZNMaeagw9BG3d4xUBlFCVXO8xA/s1600/IMG_3718_v1.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: medium;"></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">We were sitting in the
back yard and the Island King told me that he felt like grilling
something so we decided to have a BBQ instead of a boat night. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Sadly, our grill is really
old and he's been limping it along for some time now and when we
opened the lid, the bottom of the grill literally fell out. </span>
<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZJEBa7EENo9kF26yG0DYdFzJsD7vfcRI1E5K14TKE2-kwcqTj8cf_ORx_c4GZXxwKky0UeDkgdJvXat7VST7uQQApXgy0rtMXAgbrgce4ak6Qdz9R9_Z_Adg7ctLKOtgYaTpwiKwr6bE/s1600/IMG_3719_v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZJEBa7EENo9kF26yG0DYdFzJsD7vfcRI1E5K14TKE2-kwcqTj8cf_ORx_c4GZXxwKky0UeDkgdJvXat7VST7uQQApXgy0rtMXAgbrgce4ak6Qdz9R9_Z_Adg7ctLKOtgYaTpwiKwr6bE/s1600/IMG_3719_v1.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyhVMPtyec67O_CEmkw-xpaz2Qr2VztcnqLJoDERUT4CdwVzogV4rfc_rwGdivoGMtqB78CFgDIv-L6Clibk8PKvHPlefnIL__chXBUyaJ9S78v_vrkoZpehYgIM-dlQm4aqT591R8GmA/s1600/IMG_3720_v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyhVMPtyec67O_CEmkw-xpaz2Qr2VztcnqLJoDERUT4CdwVzogV4rfc_rwGdivoGMtqB78CFgDIv-L6Clibk8PKvHPlefnIL__chXBUyaJ9S78v_vrkoZpehYgIM-dlQm4aqT591R8GmA/s1600/IMG_3720_v1.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: medium;"></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">We just sat there looking
at each other and the Youngest walked out long enough to tell me that
it seems statistically impossible for all of these things to have
broken in one month's time. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Yes it does but we're
talking about me and I'm pretty sure Murphy had me in mind when he
made his “everything that can go wrong will” law. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">We ended up grilling over
our fire pit so at least we had a great dinner. </span>
<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYQvkxuVbRiveqSPXwY0UcJOx7QlsXo4rUkS2X4_pGmo1TCzsaEQLNtz04vyo1sqWOXbvS1jOdq_hbtPRUnIOOJ_6IN79j15pvRZ1z6OORK9bXnBFaVs68lMO18udNaBKQTHkGgTNmxWM/s1600/IMG_3721_v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1479" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYQvkxuVbRiveqSPXwY0UcJOx7QlsXo4rUkS2X4_pGmo1TCzsaEQLNtz04vyo1sqWOXbvS1jOdq_hbtPRUnIOOJ_6IN79j15pvRZ1z6OORK9bXnBFaVs68lMO18udNaBKQTHkGgTNmxWM/s1600/IMG_3721_v1.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: medium;"></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">I heard this song on the
way to the store yesterday and I'm pretty sure he's talking about us. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/osiNI2Y6wA4" width="459"></iframe></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
Sandcastle Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11909850898687059507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6156496346598841450.post-41979588230777153552017-05-12T14:33:00.002-05:002018-05-29T11:11:15.668-05:00The Mullet Man<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">The Island King were
sitting in the boat last weekend watching a school of mullet swim by,
making me wish we'd brought the mullet net.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">After sitting a bit I went
for a walk along the shore and when I looked up I saw the Mullet Man.
</span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiA4ZrAE7yitZhp_7LukPH7gQlRLuzT4QRh-QosnY2vPTO-IH_UosornmtbQzy5AdSJpNTP7n-ijmnBwNcfHrnudi6i2Mvg-LYKabtmARKTmRyaVSrwmThT206xdkfW1R2LOZcHTnfFE4/s1600/IMG_3471_v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiA4ZrAE7yitZhp_7LukPH7gQlRLuzT4QRh-QosnY2vPTO-IH_UosornmtbQzy5AdSJpNTP7n-ijmnBwNcfHrnudi6i2Mvg-LYKabtmARKTmRyaVSrwmThT206xdkfW1R2LOZcHTnfFE4/s400/IMG_3471_v1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">The Mullet Man is awesome.
He's been running the Bay for years, catching mullet and selling them
to the fish markets. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">The Island King flagged
him down but the Mullet Man told him he was on his way to make a big
cast. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">He did say he'd be right
back though.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Sure enough, a few minutes
later he came back. </span>
<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: medium;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9tPPrNMacEY" width="560"></iframe></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">We walked over to his boat
and the Island King told him we wanted whatever $20 would get us. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeUnXgBNiYKMpUkDOx-D-WPpbySkAbXBX5GAUlyw0t3v6qbzAyoBICQvs3xv2JQNjTDoMGxfUbzBbTbyujwQKRSaWpUREcRmyCmPHYXIT44CAVLFZpGl_nKSAEuv3H8pcrBL3B-Dkf9M0/s1600/IMG_3470_v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeUnXgBNiYKMpUkDOx-D-WPpbySkAbXBX5GAUlyw0t3v6qbzAyoBICQvs3xv2JQNjTDoMGxfUbzBbTbyujwQKRSaWpUREcRmyCmPHYXIT44CAVLFZpGl_nKSAEuv3H8pcrBL3B-Dkf9M0/s400/IMG_3470_v1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">He opened his cooler and
let us pick the ones we wanted. Those fish weren't even dead yet
which meant we were getting true “fresh” fish.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQffRDBPDIfBF4CwtgHupu8Kq_cSGv_8jBAqnzWIVASoDRDrYXLqoX7d0iAVjFLSN1c4PV5se0I2dff29XVHUPdwqB5r1rhtACYB4ZGW8A4SCkGzWnMoQZosybny8dBltw-_P5r_5NN10/s1600/IMG_3469_v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQffRDBPDIfBF4CwtgHupu8Kq_cSGv_8jBAqnzWIVASoDRDrYXLqoX7d0iAVjFLSN1c4PV5se0I2dff29XVHUPdwqB5r1rhtACYB4ZGW8A4SCkGzWnMoQZosybny8dBltw-_P5r_5NN10/s400/IMG_3469_v1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">We'd point out ones we
wanted (we prefer the smaller ones) and he'd stuff them in a 5 gallon
bucket. He was also grabbing fish and putting them in the bucket so I
don't know exactly how much $20 will get you but we finally had to
tell him to stop because we had more than plenty. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4X2lQZXC3t0WA2NZoIX5O0pmNev4XYvQYgsOTHffv3NR29-IU5ndTIJgubIbzL_BAouWI2VOq49jFx3HaQaipC9L7cBNEPrXOvcHWmFD-F6akGT33WWRTx7gLLgkPhwYmNICLL3DTwU0/s1600/IMG_3476_v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4X2lQZXC3t0WA2NZoIX5O0pmNev4XYvQYgsOTHffv3NR29-IU5ndTIJgubIbzL_BAouWI2VOq49jFx3HaQaipC9L7cBNEPrXOvcHWmFD-F6akGT33WWRTx7gLLgkPhwYmNICLL3DTwU0/s400/IMG_3476_v1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Once we finished he was
off to catch some more and we headed home to fry up some still
flopping mullet for dinner. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh31hcK8l6lY0Nzzkvm0l_tacSR8Nu1Yrh6UgQRtEXQ0Vss_lBAvH5cVW20oDmU9tfRdpz4BpHyehx8XZ8aykjqNNPZZJnnNvsTp3w3GaH25eTDCwt5C3c3Apn7JRNLkwxUW8e2wKHtz90/s1600/IMG_3479_v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh31hcK8l6lY0Nzzkvm0l_tacSR8Nu1Yrh6UgQRtEXQ0Vss_lBAvH5cVW20oDmU9tfRdpz4BpHyehx8XZ8aykjqNNPZZJnnNvsTp3w3GaH25eTDCwt5C3c3Apn7JRNLkwxUW8e2wKHtz90/s400/IMG_3479_v1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">We had so much that on the
way home we talked about cooking some and then freezing the rest for
bait. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">It's a good thing we got
so much though because when we got home there were 3 college kids
and 4 teenagers hanging around the house. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">The Island King couldn't
cook that fish fast enough. He'd pull a batch out and it would
disappear immediately. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVVrcRPS8i45p2t8hhW2x-f2YhcYvJesQzmsnE8-EQtS1hDGcotzEPQ_IAkUboY47DbuhnBWgI7X9RMEPgj82j3NBXp5_mQeuVg-_y16fppUrt2cOx1pT8zHJ1eJqqA3Lhk5IPoeFU2qM/s1600/IMG_3490_v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVVrcRPS8i45p2t8hhW2x-f2YhcYvJesQzmsnE8-EQtS1hDGcotzEPQ_IAkUboY47DbuhnBWgI7X9RMEPgj82j3NBXp5_mQeuVg-_y16fppUrt2cOx1pT8zHJ1eJqqA3Lhk5IPoeFU2qM/s400/IMG_3490_v1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicqevDmQdDAEKDckb7zKljqXJFHxbyC37IRryYMNnxMQrlITXCQNMRnBvTlNm4TYqoDoNl_y5YlseEkJZQpqzzAxEtHPcLxz-gvPlZ8lmmTJRPFSl1Cx-fpBX_Jrao_w-vDYfFr48x6GQ/s1600/IMG_3491_v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicqevDmQdDAEKDckb7zKljqXJFHxbyC37IRryYMNnxMQrlITXCQNMRnBvTlNm4TYqoDoNl_y5YlseEkJZQpqzzAxEtHPcLxz-gvPlZ8lmmTJRPFSl1Cx-fpBX_Jrao_w-vDYfFr48x6GQ/s400/IMG_3491_v1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">In the end, everyone had
full bellies and we still had a tiny bit left to freeze for bait. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Running into the Mullet
Man is always a good thing. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-size: medium;">DISCLAIMER: In a lot of
places mullet is considered a trash fish. They are bottom feeders and
if the bottom is silty or dirty, the meat will taste fishy and dirty.
BUT our bays have clean, sandy white bottoms which means the meat
from our local mullet has a nice, sweet flavor. If you're visiting
Northwest Florida try some fried mullet. You'll be glad you did. </span>Sandcastle Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11909850898687059507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6156496346598841450.post-45039264056793924342017-05-10T16:22:00.000-05:002017-05-10T16:22:35.473-05:00Meet Clarice<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">A few years ago we beached
our boat on a deserted island and got out to do some exploring. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC2_hqarCau89Qw2_Saicxqg3hsqGdKFrJUKAv-Dq1FT9J1cHPEtkBZqlIfr6ojLBn6sVeEiElV8492ndnxkuIxHCsQZmIruS7jWUVT3KhZgnIVRDCK6sv0Te95rtWfKp5UZRmLYip3Mg/s1600/DSCN5333_v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC2_hqarCau89Qw2_Saicxqg3hsqGdKFrJUKAv-Dq1FT9J1cHPEtkBZqlIfr6ojLBn6sVeEiElV8492ndnxkuIxHCsQZmIruS7jWUVT3KhZgnIVRDCK6sv0Te95rtWfKp5UZRmLYip3Mg/s400/DSCN5333_v1.jpg" width="373" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">As I was wandering around
the island, I looked over in a bush and saw a mannequin head. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">She was looking right at
me and I knew I had to help her. After all, she was stranded and
helpless on this island. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">I picked her up and
proudly placed her on the bow of the boat for our ride home. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhtUkWaTqnC0d5KmYGPdF_ZeagvUGjJ8a-ZZdnaLROeodU7JhMuga-cEmbrBbE4CxbIRC3e7hIloUG23KG8s_QKEi3mG9R4k4fMyDnCIqNrC0yYtio2GBlp0dXrZCKR05knoweK5d0WVQ/s1600/DSCN5955_v2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhtUkWaTqnC0d5KmYGPdF_ZeagvUGjJ8a-ZZdnaLROeodU7JhMuga-cEmbrBbE4CxbIRC3e7hIloUG23KG8s_QKEi3mG9R4k4fMyDnCIqNrC0yYtio2GBlp0dXrZCKR05knoweK5d0WVQ/s400/DSCN5955_v2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">The Island King was a
little creeped out by her but I knew he'd warm up to her after he got
to know her. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">I named her Clarice.
Except, you have to say it in an Anthony Hopkins voice from Silence
of the Lambs which actually sounds like “Claireece.”</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Which means I get to say
“Hello Claireece” whenever I see her. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">The odd thing is that this
is the same island my Dad found and rescued a different head on several months
before me. </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7hxzXKchoNiKfi59fFz712wk6XkYfCqDs6NapIoLZRYIGZreNPEGXQ2kRQOt53TPMjcgV6G5ZeUhTg1wnCp0f5UNS40H3V9X1nBqd4k6FmnynWoSEnUCiFibsSkgzaMrTcttbrwHzTrQ/s1600/17330_10203892041250055_107381888836633321_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7hxzXKchoNiKfi59fFz712wk6XkYfCqDs6NapIoLZRYIGZreNPEGXQ2kRQOt53TPMjcgV6G5ZeUhTg1wnCp0f5UNS40H3V9X1nBqd4k6FmnynWoSEnUCiFibsSkgzaMrTcttbrwHzTrQ/s400/17330_10203892041250055_107381888836633321_n.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Not sure what's going on
out there but obviously it's not a safe place for mannequins to hang
out. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">I brought Clarice home,
picked the seaweed out of her hair, gave her a bath and she now lives
in my office. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7UmUNFzL9HrS7yRrJKQGb04isK2a7SKA5lY24zZp0IV9qumoTq6winbms5RkPrH4iD_pzaaN7jR2gawD_2h7cZ9hURomp1NGFSA4U_Lys3oKJAFjC0B_0toYIqNVXH7oNdfLaa94TW0M/s1600/IMG_3639_v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7UmUNFzL9HrS7yRrJKQGb04isK2a7SKA5lY24zZp0IV9qumoTq6winbms5RkPrH4iD_pzaaN7jR2gawD_2h7cZ9hURomp1NGFSA4U_Lys3oKJAFjC0B_0toYIqNVXH7oNdfLaa94TW0M/s400/IMG_3639_v1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">And yes, I talk to her
often. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Talking to her beats
talking to Bob. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5sgOAj3UVnk-C3q_ev9TpZTBERMriexPBLZmwOLXHCT8QSlHzKkf5CyXLk4z8smDO2OIaABCzvJjc7lhFH0AMZ_1449nJS5ssPZkp7vKZEB-ecTDojreRf9-oyyiQBrk2eidwqHH8UYs/s1600/IMG_3640_v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5sgOAj3UVnk-C3q_ev9TpZTBERMriexPBLZmwOLXHCT8QSlHzKkf5CyXLk4z8smDO2OIaABCzvJjc7lhFH0AMZ_1449nJS5ssPZkp7vKZEB-ecTDojreRf9-oyyiQBrk2eidwqHH8UYs/s400/IMG_3640_v1.jpg" width="113" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">The Island King made Bob
for me one day when I mentioned (sarcastically) that he never
listens, which translates into I never have anyone to talk to. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">I wonder sometimes if Bob
and Clarice talk quietly among themselves when I'm not around. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">The Island Girl looked at
Clarice the other day and said “You are bats$&% crazy. I can
picture you in a cemetery with that thing in the middle of the night
like something out of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midnight_in_the_Garden_of_Good_and_Evil" target="_blank">Garden of Good and Evil</a>.”</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">I have no idea why she
thinks that.</span></div>
Sandcastle Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11909850898687059507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6156496346598841450.post-38882465884874738262017-02-11T08:00:00.000-06:002018-06-13T01:48:38.695-05:00The Oven Blew Up<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Last night The Island Girl
came home from school to spend the weekend. The Oldest Island Boy is
staying in Gulf Breeze during the week to work and he came home for
the weekend too so we decided to make a spaghetti feast to celebrate
all of our birdies being in the nest.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">The Island King was
cooking and the Island Girl and I were sitting at the bar watching
him. He put some garlic bread in the oven, turned on the broiler and
turned back to talk to us. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Less than a minute later
something in the oven started sparking. The Island Girl and I both
yelled and as the Island King turned around sparks started flying and
the burner split. The sparks kept flying and now we have a fire red
burner acting like a welding rod.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">He turned the oven off and
even though we're yelling at him to get the breaker, he runs into the
garage to and returns with a 2x4.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtu_N1Hm06czgIm5G3dAEKQ9xrrfe2hbO9yuJMtP995x0vZwpXASkwhO-ef-6E1DnN6G4vsmmEM6dQH5CPAgLGeLIDXFYJ-PymVeKVJVIUAbkgmPMoL_UFLJdP6SSztAFYZwl-ck438dI/s1600/IMG_3067.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtu_N1Hm06czgIm5G3dAEKQ9xrrfe2hbO9yuJMtP995x0vZwpXASkwhO-ef-6E1DnN6G4vsmmEM6dQH5CPAgLGeLIDXFYJ-PymVeKVJVIUAbkgmPMoL_UFLJdP6SSztAFYZwl-ck438dI/s1600/IMG_3067.JPG" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">My house is absolute chaos
at this point. The dog is barking, me and the kids are yelling and
he's banging on this burner with the 2x4 like he can beat the fire
out. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYcv5ewIEmdW10lFvid2OLnLHKCwvPl7ejgD8fXrvkD5m5IPJBNDaCIwHfef3AWpMvm3U-KH2zkZCpEKqTK37eR77uUfFm-U1o90r1N1spEYO1PseW2Xi6bWPG41B-78fa-8hCuDS0DJE/s1600/IMG_3068.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYcv5ewIEmdW10lFvid2OLnLHKCwvPl7ejgD8fXrvkD5m5IPJBNDaCIwHfef3AWpMvm3U-KH2zkZCpEKqTK37eR77uUfFm-U1o90r1N1spEYO1PseW2Xi6bWPG41B-78fa-8hCuDS0DJE/s1600/IMG_3068.JPG" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Now, I have to tell you
that my husband was an actual – went to school and worked in Miami
– firefighter. </span>
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“<span style="font-size: medium;">Was” meaning back in
1980 something.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">He's yelling that he knows
what to do because he's been trained in this but really, you can't
blame me for doubting him because I doubt that that at any point in
his training was he told to grab a 2x4 and beat a fire out.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">And, still, no one has
turned the breaker off. </span>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">The 2x4 wasn't working so
the man actually grabbed a cup of water and was going to throw it on
the welding hot burner. </span>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">The Island Girl and I went
nuts. “Don't throw water on an electrical fire”!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">He's yelling that the oven
is off and the burner is now an arc welder and that the fire isn't
electrical. </span>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Right about then the
Island Girl and the Youngest Island Boy started yelling “get the
fire extinguisher!” and the Oldest Island Boy says “he's insane –
I'm going to turn the breaker off”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">The Island King says no
that we don't know which breaker and will have to through them all
which means we'll be in the dark. </span>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">The Island Girl points out
that he'll be able to see the fire in the dark and that she has a
flashlight. </span>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">He's getting frustrated,
more at us than at the actual welding rod thing going on in our oven,
so as the Oldest and I are getting ready to throw the switch and kill
everything in the house he grabs the fire extinguisher and hits the
burner with it. </span>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">We went back in the
kitchen as he opened the oven door and it was still burning so he hit
it again with the fire extinguisher and slammed the door. </span>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Which actually put the
thing out. </span>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Now, he will tell you that
it burned itself out at the exact moment that he hit it with the fire
extinguisher, which, in his mind, is why he had to do it twice, but
the Island Girl swears that he just barely hit it the first time and
that when he really hit it the second time – it went out. </span>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">I suppose that it could be
pure coincidence, after all there are three astrological events
happening tonight, but to be honest, I think the fire extinguisher
did it. </span>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">So the oven fire/arcing
welding rod is out but now my oven has been beat with a 2x4 and
sprayed with a fire extinguisher. </span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5NnVTWepTmPm1tMz-V8QitUa2yzGWhp3aO16nfIZTHcVbpRj2FMwhRZyFMfV9WvsaBkHXZY96l6R1rLCWTcm2ePlWFEF-Ye6ETa-8BQBZ_UCqfXsmTaFSRfkkHhJMwyB7jpoVLAJvvWg/s1600/IMG_3072.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5NnVTWepTmPm1tMz-V8QitUa2yzGWhp3aO16nfIZTHcVbpRj2FMwhRZyFMfV9WvsaBkHXZY96l6R1rLCWTcm2ePlWFEF-Ye6ETa-8BQBZ_UCqfXsmTaFSRfkkHhJMwyB7jpoVLAJvvWg/s1600/IMG_3072.JPG" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">What a mess those things
make! Luckily most of it was contained to the kitchen but there is a
thin layer of dust covering everything in the living room and the
dining room. </span>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Which does not surprise me
considering I spent all day today dusting and mopping and cleaning.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Not surprisingly, the
Island King has a completely different take on the situation but I
guess we all see things differently in a crisis. </span>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">I do agree calm is
something we should work on as a family – and maybe a lot of little
common sense. The Oldest could teach the class because he assessed
the situation and then decided to turn the breaker off. </span>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Chaos at it's finest.</span></div>
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Sandcastle Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11909850898687059507noreply@blogger.com0