Life Through My Eyes

Our Brief Visit To Manteo

2012-01-21T08:44:00.000-05:00

On Thursday Veronica and I had a bunch of errands to run culminating in Veronica getting a body massage at a local business in Manteo... Better Body Massage. Veronica had nothing but great things to say about her massage. She would like to go back there again.
While we were in the Manteo area, Veronica and I decided to pay a visit to the Manteo waterfront area.
The area is on the sound side of Manteo and consists of several streets that have various stores including arts, crafts and other handmade items. There are several specialty retails shops along with various restaurants in the area.
Unfortunately most of the shops were closed for the off season. We were able to go into a couple of shops that were open and enjoyed browsing in them.
We also had a chance to walk the waterfront area.
I took a few photos of the area.
In order to get the most out of a visit there, we will most likely stop be the area again as their season begins in order to find more businesses open.
Just walking around and enjoying each others company and the sunny weather was fun.

Above is a weather tower where they collect weather data and raise the appropriate flag based on weather conditions and wind speed. Below is a posted chart that explains what each color flag means. The center sign also shows how high the water rose at the location where the tower is, during Hurricane Irene.

Rule number one of photography....never get your photo taken when you are directly facing the sun , especially when you have blue skies and no clouds. Doing so makes your face look all gnarled and squinty...hmmmm...is squinty a word...it is now!

Our drive ended up taking us over a bridge and into Mann's Harbor where we found this boat called the Baby Bug.

The Answer As To Why The Costa Concordia Was So Off Course And Close To Giglio

2012-01-17T18:38:00.000-05:00

Below is a copied portion of an article that was written by By Eric J. Lyman and Carolyn Pesce, USA TODAY and shown on USA Today online.
Here is the portion of that article that I copied and tells why the Costa Concordia was off course and so close to the Giglio:

The cruise line operator has said Schettino strayed from the ship's authorized course into waters too close to the perilous reef. The navigational version of a "fly by" was apparently a favor to the chief waiter who is from Giglio and whose parents live on the island, local media reported.

Half an hour before disaster struck, the waiter's sister posted an entry on her Facebook page saying she had been told the ship was "going to pass really close" and sending "a big hello to my brother."

Antonello Tievoli, 46, the head waiter of the Costa Concordia, is "tormented by a sense of guilt" over the tragedy, his family said, even though he did not ask the captain to perform the sail-by.

His father, Giuseppe Tievoli, 82, said "Antonello called me to say the ship would be passing by the island at around 9:30 and they would come and give us a whistle to say hello. It was something they often did," he said.

"The ship obviously came too close," he said. "I don't know if Antonello asked the captain to come near, but the responsibility is always and only the captain's."

At 9.08 p.m., the waiter's sister Patrizia Tievoli, a teacher who also lives on Giglio, wrote on her Facebook page: "In just a little while the Concordia is going to pass really close. A big hello to my brother who will finally disembark at Savona to enjoy a bit of rest."

Hours later, after the ship capsized, she wrote: "A tragedy, a deadful tragedy. I can't believe it's true. I just hope I will wake up and realize that it was a nightmare. The longest night of my life."

She later posted a black and white photograph of the Titanic, dated 1912, next to one of the Concordia on its side, dated 2012.

She also passed judgment on the captain's claim that the rocks were not marked on his nautical charts. "Not very convincing at all!" she wrote.

The Milan-based daily Corriere della Sera reported that Schettino called Antonello to the deck to say "Come to see it, Antonello, we're right on top of Giglio!" That was moments before the crash.

To view the complete USA Today article, please click here... USA Today Article

Captain Of Costa Concordia Refuses To Return Aboard Sinking Ship

2012-01-17T15:16:00.000-05:00

Below is a link to an article and a video in which Captain Francesco Schettino, the Captain of the Costa Concordia, who had already taken to a lifeboat, can be heard talking to Gregorio De Falco, a coast guard official based in the western Italian port of Livorno.
Coastguard Raged At Liner Captain
Video

Ultimate Sacrifice Or Ultimate Gift

2012-01-17T10:42:00.001-05:00

Here is a question...how many out there would be willing to do something like this?
A husband gives his wife the only life jacket that they had because she did not know how to swim.
He told her to jump after he had already jumped into the approximately 8 degree water. After jumping in she called out to her husband, who told her that he would be alright.
She floated on her back until rescued and he was never seen again.
The couples children gave there Mother the Mediterranean cruise as a 60th birthday gift.
For more details about this true story..... Costa Cruise Window Tells Her Story and Husband Sacrifices Life Jacket For Wife
Our condolences to the family for their tragic loss.

Additional Videos of the Costa Concordia Ship Wreck

2012-01-16T17:19:00.000-05:00

Below are a couple of rather interesting videos from the Costa Concordia ship wreck as taken by passengers on board the ship after it ran aground had its hull compromised and an a video taken from the air:

Here is a link to a Good Morning America show that had 2 American survivors from the Costa Concordia shipwreck. The video in this link is pretty interesting as the story is being told by this young married couple who had to tie sheets and rope together to escape to safety.... GOOD MORNING AMERICA story and VIDEO
Below is a video that shows the movement of the Costa Concordia by using data received by AIS vessel tracking system VT Explorer.

Costa Cruise Ship Wreck

2012-01-14T16:26:00.000-05:00

Veronica and I have talked about going on a Costa Cruise and more specifically the Costa Concordia with its itinerary was a distinct possibility sometime in the future, but with this incident, I think we will pass and use other cruise lines to see the world.
I am not sure how such a thing could happen other than negligence. These ships have all kinds of instruments and modern technology to keep the ship safe and for this ship to end up so close to shore, run aground and end up with a 165 foot gash in its hull is beyond me.
Here is a link to a USA article about this incident... Captain Arrested In Cruise Ship Wreck
Here is a video discussing the Costa Concordia wreck:

Followup On My Doctors Visit MRI Results

2012-01-06T19:33:00.001-05:00

I am kind of behind on this blog entry. Life is full of "stuff" and sometimes you kind of get caught up in it all. Besides "stuff", I also had a cold for a little bit which also accounts for this late blog entry.
This last Tuesday I went to my doctor who had ordered an MRI for my problematic right knee. I had the MRI done about 10 days or so ago.
The doctor spent a solid 5 minutes flipping up the MRI sheets onto the light box. Each sheet had a good number of MRI pictures on them. After looking at each sheet he put them in 1 of 2 piles. I got the impression that 1 pile was the "good" pile and the second was the "bad" pile.
Upon looking them all over, he flipped a sheet on the light box and started to show me a few things that were wrong with my knee.
The doctor showed me where I had a torn meniscus on both the lateral and medial sides of my right knee.
Not exactly what I wanted to hear but kind of what I expected to hear. I had been down this road about 30 years ago when I lived in Lawrence, KS.
The good news was that there was no "water" or liquid on my knee that needed to be drained out and that because I was still able to move about with minimal pain, there is no rush to have my knee scoped out at this time.
The doctor told me that when I have had enough of my knee kind of doing its own thing, being unstable and at times seeming like it is going to completely go out from under me, to give him a call and he would schedule me for surgery.
So right now I am kind of in a holding pattern on the surgery thing.
Because it is still cold enough outside, I have been riding my recumbent bike for about 20 miles in the garage.
Other than a little tightening in my knee pit area, my knee has not started to revolt against me...at least not yet.
The real test will be when it warms up and I try to go for those long walks that I enjoy in the warmer weather.
I will buy me a knee sleeve to help give the knee a little additional stability and see how it does. If I start having a lot of issues with it during these walks, I will then get the surgery done but I am hoping that it will hold up until after we return from our 14 day cruise that is in September.
I am sure that there will be lots of walking during the ports of call that we will be visiting and the worse case scenario would be for my knee to really act up or give out during this adventure.
Only time will tell how and when I will have the surgery done, but for now I will just keep on pedaling on my recumbent bike on a trip to wherever my imagination decides to take me.

So Many Places And So Little Time

2011-12-30T10:15:00.001-05:00

Veronica and I were discussing places that we might want to go to and see in 2013. As usual, our thoughts and conversation turned to the possiblity of another cruise.
I started doing a little research to see where various cruise lines would be going to that year...their itineraries and port of calls.
I ended up spending most of my time on the NCL, Norwegian Cruise Lines' web site.
As of this date all of the cruises that we have been on have been through NCL.
Eventually we will need to try other cruise lines in order to see other places in this world. But for right now, NCL has the trips that meet our wish list needs/wants.
Previously we had booked a 14 day Norway, Scotland, Ireland and Iceland cruise. This cruise departs in 260 days from now...on 9/16/2012. Here is the intinerary for that cruise:

14-Day Norway, Iceland, & Faroe Islands from Copenhagen


	Copenhagen, Denmark Pack some comfortable shoes for Copenhagen truly is a wonderful, wonderful, fairytale of a "walking city." Many pedestrian thoroughfares are lined with Renaissance palaces, picture-perfect parks historic merchant houses, and charming canals and waterways.

Dates	Port

Day 1

Copenhagen, Denmark

Day 2

At Sea

Day 3

Bergen, Norway

Day 4 A

lesund,Norway

Day 5 Lerwick, Shetland Islands, Scotland

Day 6

Thorshavn, Faroe Islands

Day 7

At Sea

Day 8

Reykjavik, Iceland

Day 9

At Sea

Day 10

At Sea

Day 11

Glasgow(Greenock), Scotland

Day 12 Dublin, Ireland

Day 13

At Sea

Day 14

At Sea

Day 15 Copenhagen, Denmark

After much research and discussion, Veronica and I decided on doing "back to back" 1 week cruises on the NCL Jade. We chose to do an inside cabin to help keep the costs down.
By doing this we can go on more cruises and/or spend some of the money saved on things to do and goodies to bring home.
We found that the prices for these cruises were very reasonably priced, which also made our decision rather easy.
We will be departing in this 14 day cruise on Saturday10/12/13.
This cruise will leave out of Venice
and go to several of the Greek islands.
Here is the itinerary for the first 7 days of the journey:

7-Day Eastern Mediterranean, Greek Isles from Venice

Dates Port

Day 1 Venice, Italy

Venice, Italy The romantic city built entirely on water awaits. Take a famed gondola ride, explore world-class shopping areas, delve into Italy's culinary delights or head out to the Doge's Palace, Piazza San Marco and St. Mark's Basilica or one of the many treasured museums.

Day 2 At Sea

At Sea

Day 3 Corfu, Greece

Corfu, Greece One of the lushest of the Greek Isles, Corfu is rimmed in dramatic blue waters and topped with tranquil hillside villages. A collection of quaint cafes in the town of Corfu feels very continental, but the island’s secluded coves and sandy beaches could only be found in the Greek Isles.

Day 4 Santorini, Greece

Santorini, Greece Whitewashed villages clinging to the sides of the sea cliffs have made the volcanic island of Santorini one of the most widely photographed places in the world. The island's charm and subtle mystery have even made it a target of speculation as the location of the lost city of Atlantis.

Day 5 Mykonos, Greece

Mykonos, Greece Mykonos is a classic Greek Island with whitewashed houses, blue-domed churches and windmills. Add a reputation for beautiful beaches and you'll understand why Mykonos is the most popular island in the Cyclades. Explore the island in a 4 x 4 or take a ferry to the tiny island of Delos.

Day 6 Olympia (Katakolon), Greece

Olympia (Katakolon), Greece Near Olympia, where the ancient Greeks flocked every four years to celebrate the ancient games dedicated to Zeus, Katakolon has a special feel. You'll find ruins of the Temple of Hera and remnants of what was once the first Olympic Stadium. In fact, historical landmarks can be seen where ever you turn.

Day 7 At Sea

At Sea

Day 8 Venice, Italy

At the end of this week, the Jade will then return to Venice.

Because we are doing "back to back" cruises, Veronica and I will be staying in the same cabin for both legs of the journey. We can leave our clothes and luggage in our cabin at the end of the 1st leg but we must get off of the ship once it docks in Venice. This is the "turnover" port where the passengers from the first cruise will get off of the ship with their baggage, the ship is cleaned and prepared for the next voyage.

The ship pulls into Venice at 8AM.

We should be able to get off of the ship by 9AM.

Veronica and I will get off of the ship as soon as possible and utilize this day to visit Venice and see as many sites as we can.

We will have to return and be back on the Jade by approximately 4 PM before it leaves port.

The Jade will then leave Venice at approximately 6PM and will cruise to several different countries and ports of call.

Here is the intinerary for the 2nd 7 days of our cruise:

7-Day Classic Mediterranean, Venice to Rome (Civitavecchia)


	Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy Bask in the glory of the city that once was the capital of the world's most powerful empire. No visit to Rome is complete without a visit to the Colosseum that stands as a reminder of the gladiator days. But be sure to visit St. Peter's Basilica, the Vatican and the Pantheon, too.

Day	Port
Sat	Venice, Italy
Sun	Koper, Slovenia
Mon	Split, Croatia
Tue	Dubrovnik, Croatia
Wed	At Sea
Thu	Messina, Italy
Fri	Naples, Italy
Sat	Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy


The NCL Jade is a pretty nice ship. It is very similar to the NCL Pearl, which we have been on twice....both times being cruises to Alaska. For more information on the NCL Jade, please click here... NCL Jade

And The Winner Is...

2011-12-30T09:43:00.000-05:00

Well another Christmas day has come and gone. Each tree bulb has been carefully packed away, the garland carefully enclosed in a Hefty Cinch sack, ornaments wrapped and put away and of course our new tree has been returned to its original box and has found a new home in our computer room.
And of course the multitude of Santa 'dolls" that lined several of the steps on our stairways, have been wrapped up better than yesterdays garbage in large plastic garbage bags and placed inside a couple of wardrobe boxes for safe keeping until next year.
And least we not forget the ever present signs of sparkling glitter that seems to adorn each and every Holiday item that one can imagine. I mean really...what is Christmas without glitter.
If you haven't gathered yet...I am NOT a fan of glitter.
This stuff keeps on giving throughout the entire year. 6 months from now I will still see the delightful sparkle of glitter on our floors or on our bed even after using our vacuum dozens of times.
I consider glitter the cockroach of the adornment world. They will always be around.
As far as giving gifts go....each year that I give Veronica gifts, there seems to be at least one gift that has that "WOW" factor...you know the one or ones that I am speaking about...the look of quizzical anticipation when initially tearing the wrapping paper off aka the "what the heck could it be moment", the one(s) that cause the eyes to get big , the jaw to drop and the mouth to open but no words come out and then the OMG followed by the tears.
The gift when opened by the givee brings that "YESSSSS!!!!" moment to the giver. The giver instantly knows that indeed we have a winner and that he/she has done good.
This years "YESSSSS!!!!" moment was better than in past years.
This years winning gift was a 6 point, queen sized cream/pink Hudson Bay wool blanket that I gave to Veronica. It brought about every action that was described above.
Besides the gift of love, what better gift could a person give another...the gifts of warmth and of bringing back loving memories of times gone by long ago.
With this gift I got it right. But it sure will put the pressure on me to get it right next year.
Oh yes.....next year. When all that was carefully wrapped, packaged and stored away will once again be brought out to see the light of day.
Oh yes....next year. When the next round of glitter invades our home and permeates every nook and cranny within these walls.

Cute Talking Animals Singing A Christmas Carol

2011-12-24T13:57:00.004-05:00

Our friend John Jakobs from up in Vermilion Bay, Ontario Canada forwarded this cute Talking Animals Singing A Christmas Carol video onto us. Thanks for sharing this with us John.
Have a safe and Happy Holiday everyone.

A Secret Santa Surprise For Veronica

2011-12-23T16:00:00.000-05:00

Today I decided to surprise Veronica while she was at work.
Originally I was planning on buying her some flowers on line and having them delivered to her store but after seeing what they offered, I decided that it would be a more personal gift if I delivered them to her myself.
I got a tall glass cylinder that she had in the kitchen cabinet. This cylinder was actually a measuring device but I thought it would make a great vase.
I then got wrapping paper and various bows and proceeded to decorate the vase.
I drove to the grocery store to buy some flowers. I got 3 arrangements that were of various colors. I had also brought along with me a bottle of water and a scissors.
So here I am in the parking lot of our local Harris Teeters trimming the bottoms of of the flower stems and getting my arrangement all set up in the vase along with some water and a small packet of flower fertilizer.
I had the vehicle that Veronica usually drives to work and had previously seen a Santa costume in the back.
I drove to Veronica's store and parked around the back side of it where very few people might see me.
I then spent the next 20 minutes trying to get this Santa suit on me where everything looked good and in its proper place. I had even brought my pillow with me to stuff in the suit and use as my big Santa belly.
Once I got myself looking like a half decent Santa, I placed to telephone calls to the store. On each of the calls, when someone answered the telephone, I would say something like OMG secret Santa is on his way to your store...mystery Santa Alert!!!!
After making those 2 calls, I waited for a couple of minutes and then proceeded to make my appearance in the store.
With bellowing Ho Ho Hos, Merry Christmas and carrying this decorated vase, I walked around the store for a few minutes interacting with some of the customers.
After walking around for a few minutes and not seeing Veronica on the sales floor, I made my way back to her office and surprised her with the flowers.
Veronica then walked with me on the sales floor to great customers and hand out some small boxed candy canes that she had in her office.
After greeting customers for a little bit, I went back to Veronica's office and got out of the Santa suit.
I had a good time doing what I did but couldn't wait to get out of that suit.
I give a lot of credit to all of those Santas out there that do this on a yearly basis. After being in that suit for about an hour, I have a new appreciation of their efforts.

A Christmas Flash Mob

2011-12-22T19:22:00.001-05:00

Veronica found this You Tube video of a Christmas flash mob. She decided to share it with me. After watching it and in the spirit of the Holiday Season, I would like to share it with you. I hope that you enjoy it. Here is some information about this Christmas flash mob:

Journey of Faith performed a Christmas "Flash Mob" at the South Bay Galleria in Redondo Beach on December 18, 2011 much to the delight of local shoppers. Thanks to all who participated. Merry Christmas everyone!!

Unique Interaction With Gorillas

2011-12-22T14:29:00.003-05:00

I found this story on AOL via the Huffington Post. This story is about a tourist that is in Uganda to take photographs/video while on a Gorilla watching tour near Bwindi National Park. This tourist got much more than he paid for in this rare interaction with a family of Gorillas.
To read the full story, click on this link... Tourist Interaction With A Gorilla Family
Below is the video of this really cool human contact with a family of wild gorillas in Uganda:

A Sign Of The Times And These Times Are A Changing

2011-12-17T17:31:00.002-05:00

Veronica returned home from work and quickly whisked me into her vehicle to take a look at a "surprise".
As it turned out the surprise were brand new signs that had been strategically posted in and around our neighborhood.

Because of the problems that I have had with the well known dog, Barney and Barneys' owners, this surprise was really nice to see.

If you have been following my blog for any length of time, you know that while on my walks and bike rides, Barney has been unleashed during his walks that his owners take him on, has charged at me and nipped at my arm, charged me and actually bit me and broke through the skin and on the last incident, Barney has charged at me again at which time Barneys owners and I had a not so friendly exchange of ideas about Barneys behavior and their own behavior.

Now if Barneys' owners decide they want to let Barney run amok through our neighborhood and if Barney decides to charge me again, when I call Animal Control or the police, this sign adds some "bite' to my formal complaint...pun intended.

Our Annual Visit To The Poulos Christmas House Lights Show

2011-12-16T16:07:00.013-05:00

This last Thursday evening Veronica and I took our 2nd annual visit to the Poulos residence to view the awesome holiday light show that they put on every year.
Last year was our first year on the Outer Banks and our first opportunity to visit the Poulos residence.
In case you never viewed last years blog entry about this annual event, the Poulos residence home won the 2005 "Best Christmas Display" in the nation contest on NBC's Today Show and had the privilege of being visited by Al Roker himself.
In 2006 this residence gained even more attention when it was on HGTV's "Over the Top Holiday" program.
Veronica and I went early enough that we did not have to battle the crowds that usually show up for this beautiful holiday spirited light and decoration show.
This also gave me the opportunity to take my time and get some good photos/videos.
We noticed that they were several decorations that had been added to this years presentation. You can click on any photo to make it bigger.
Click on this link if you would like to view the photos/videos taken during last years 2010 Poulos family Christmas House presentation

Below is my love posing with an antique Ford pickup truck.

What's a holiday light and decoration presentation without a holiday porker

Here is Veronica posing with none other than the "Main Man" himself...Santa

Below are a couple of photos that I took while experimenting with different camera settings

Here is Veronica hanging out at the Reindeer Parking area. She had heard that Rudolph and the clan were supposed to be arriving soon, to attend the Poulos festivities. Unfortunately they were running behind schedule due to some really strong head winds. We ended up missing out on seeing them this year but there is always next year.

I believe that this was a new addition to the massive number of decorations at the Poulos residence

Below are a few videos taken while we were at the Poulos Christmas house

Below is a really neat Mickey Mouse Christmas tree topper that Veronica noticed.

Doctors Visit Update

2011-12-14T08:56:00.004-05:00

I went to a local Orthopedic doctor yesterday to get my knees checked out.

The X-Rays showed minimal arthritis and some calcification in the joints of my knees.

After much pulling, twisting and shaking the doctor told me that the ligaments in my knee were fine but because I had torn my meniscus years ago, there was a chance that I could have torn it again.

The only way to find out for sure was to have an MRI done.

I told the doctor that I had met my financial deductible for the year through my insurance company and that there was no rush to get the MRI done because I originally thought that the deductible had been met up until August of next year. As it turns out my deductible has been met until the 1st of next year, which is only 3 weeks away. At that point in time I will need to start over paying out again until my deductible has been met for next.

So this morning I called the doctors office to let them know about my mistake....which could cost us several hundred dollars of out of pocket expenses in order to reach next years deductible.

They will see how booked up the MRI schedule is and see if it is possible to get it done by the 1st of the year.

Until I know for sure, I will be giving my knees a break and I won't be riding my bike nor going for any long walks.

I will also be icing it down every night.

At least nothing glaring came to light during the knee exam and x-rays. Hopefully the MRI will come back clean and then it will be a little time to rehab the knee back into shape and then back to my normal routine.

At least that is my game plan at this moment.

I'm Still Around

2011-12-11T15:30:00.003-05:00

I haven't posted much on this blog lately. I have been busy doing other things plus I kind of hit a period of "writers block".

So what have I been up to? Well I have been keeping myself busy with my workouts and nursing some injuries. I have had to totally quit going on my walks along with riding my recumbent bicycle. Seems that both of my knees have decided to go on strike at the same time.

Within a matter of a couple of days, my right knee started going out on me during my walks. It feels very "loose" and extremely unstable. I have had it go out and give way in a couple of places...sometimes it is in the front of the knee about an inch below my knee cap. This is about the same general area where I broke my leg several years ago. I have also experienced my knee go out in the back in what i will call the "knee pit" area. And last but not least..I have had issues with both sides of this knee.

Unfortunately this knee has had some trauma to it in the past. I had arthroscopic surgery due to a torn meniscus back in the 80s and I was also shot in this knee as a teenager back in the early 70s.

So after enduring some problems on my walks with the right knee, I decided to back off and start riding my recumbent bike in the garage. The 1st day on the bike was uneventful and I did 15 miles and felt a little better knowing that at least I could do something like that type of exercise without further damaging my knee. Unfortunately I was wrong on that thought. The next day I got on my recumbent bike and was on it for only about 2 minutes before I started getting some sharp knife like pains in my left knee this time. I immediately got off the bike after 2 sharp pains and haven't been on it since.

Since that point in time, I have had my right knee wrapped to add a little more stability to the knee. My knee still goes out when it wants to and makes a loud crunching and crackling sound when I walk on it....kinda sounds like if you would step on a bag of potato chips.

This time I did not do what I usually do when injured....wait and see if it goes away on its own while still going about doing my normal exercise routine.

Actually...this time I almost immediately called and made an appointment with an Orthopedic & Joint Doctor.

I go in this Tuesday at 1:45 for my first appointment.

Even though my knees are acting up, I am still able to do my weightlifting and am progressing nicely with my routine. Of course I don't do anything that involves any added weight or pressure on my knees. Everything is upper body and arms..

Besides dealing with my knees, I also have done some Holiday baking. After a request from several of Veronica's Associates at work, I baked 12 dozen of my coconut macaroons...some with Ghirardelli semi sweet chocolate morsels and either butterscotch or peanut butter chips/nibs. I also added chopped pecans in all recipes made. Veronica told me that the Associates at the store call my macaroons..."Ricks crack" because they are so yummy and addictive.

I also will be putting some meals together for families that utilize the mobile food pantries in the area.

There is also the possibility that I will be serving meals for those that are in need on Christmas Eve and maybe Christmas Day at a local church.

Not much else has been happening around here except....only 279 days left until our 14 day cruise out of Copenhagen on the NCL Sun....something both Veronica and I are greatly looking forward to.

A New Look For My Blog

2011-12-09T19:21:00.003-05:00

Over the last few days I have noticed that the fish themed background on my blog had shrunk and really looked bad. I tried everything I could to fix it on my own. Little did I know the creator of these blog backgrounds was already aware of the html code issues that were causing the shrunken backgrounds and had a fix available.

By the time I found out about the fix, I had already gone through her blog where she has all of her backgrounds listed and found a new one.

I had that fish background for several years so I guess it was a good time to change things up.

I think that with Veronica's help, we found a really cool background that kind of fits me and thanks to her, I am up and running again.

I hope you enjoy the new look and feel to my blog.

If you are looking for a new background for your blog, click on this link... Cute And Cool Blog Stuff by Itkupilli

She is a Finnish artist and designer that lives in Los Angeles, CA.

Return Of Our Young Deer

2011-12-05T15:34:00.005-05:00

Below are a few videos our 2 young deer. These 2 deer frequently show up at feeding time and belly up to the corn buffet that is stocked each night behind our place. We usually sit at our computers with our curtains open so that we can watch the deer eat. They are only about 2 feet away from us and hopefully they will get used to seeing us over a period of time.

Our New Christmas Tree

2011-11-28T15:38:00.003-05:00

For the last several years Veronica and I have enjoyed our 3 foot Christmas tree that was lit up using fiber optics. This year we decided it was time to get a new tree. We decided to get a bigger tree...7 foot from bottom of base to the top of the tree and once again we chose to get a fiber optic tree.

We found that these fiber optic trees were getting a little harder to find and that there weren't a lot of styles to choose from.

After the tree arrived at our home, we decided that it was time to get some new decorative tree bulbs along with a tree skirt and topper. Luckily all of these items were on sale at our local KMart so we ended up saving some money on the items.

Below are a few photos of our new tree, which we put up in our bedroom.

I also took a movie of the fiber optic lights in motion but this photo does not do the lights justice.

We are both very pleased with the way the tree turned out and we expect this tree to last for many years to come.

The Fox

2011-11-21T15:56:00.003-05:00

My friend John Jakobs, from Vermilion Bay in Ontario Canada has been sending me some photos of fox that he has befriended.

This fox seems to have quite the sophisticated palate and has shared Johns bologna sandwich and now appears to like the hotdogs that John has been bringing him/her.

John told me that this fox will take a piece of hotdog and then bury it in the snow.

I can't say that I blame the fox for doing this. They have some long cold winters up in that neck of the woods.

Below are a couple of photos that John has sent me of his new forest buddy.

Thanks for sharing John.

Ryanair Is In The News Again

2011-11-11T18:30:00.004-05:00

Quite some time ago I wrote about a no frills European airline carrier called Ryanair. As I wrote about previously, this is the same airline carrier that's threatened to introduce pay-per-use lavatories on all of its flights.

Now it appears that Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary is at it again.

In a report written by Ben Mutzabaugh, USA TODAY:

The Sun, one of London's splashy tabloids, on Tuesday reported O'Leary is intrigued by the idea of an in-flight app that would let his passengers pay for streaming entertainment options such as games and movies.....and gambling and porn.

It appears that Mr. O'Leary subscribes to the opinion that any attention or "press" , whether it be good or bad, is better than no attention or "press" at all.

For more details on what is possibly just another attention grabbing publicity stunt by Ryaniars CEO, please click on the following link... Ryanair Considering In Flight Porn

For some reason these ideas that CEO Michael O'Leary comes up with remind me of a song from the 1973 Emerson, Lake and Palmer album titled Brain Salad Surgery.

The song is titled Karn Evil 9 and there might be a few of you out there that might remember some of these lyrics:

Welcome back my friends to the show that never ends
We're so glad you could attend
Come inside! Come inside!
There behind a glass is a real blade of grass
be careful as you pass.
Move along! Move along!

Come inside, the show's about to start
guaranteed to blow your head apart
Rest assured you'll get your money's worth
The greatest show in Heaven, Hell or Earth.
You've got to see the show, it's a dynamo.
You've got to see the show, it's rock and roll ....

Soon the Gypsy Queen in a glaze of Vaseline
Will perform on guillotine
What a scene! What a scene!
Next upon the stand will you please extend a hand
to Alexander's Ragtime Band
Roll up! Roll up! Roll up!
See the show!

Performing on a stool we've a sight to make you drool
Seven virgins and a mule
Keep it cool. Keep it cool.
We would like it to be known the exhibits that were shown
were exclusively our own,
All our own. All our own.
Come and see the show! Come and see the show! Come and see the show!
See the show!

If I close my eyes tight enough, I can actually visualize Mr. O'Leary singing these lyrics and motioning his arms as he welcomes his flying customers aboard one of his planes.

Well played Mr. O'Leary. You got our attention.........again.

An Enjoyable Sunday Morning

2011-11-06T12:00:00.006-05:00

Veronica and I were planning on getting up a little earlier than usual, so that we could load our bikes onto our bike carrier and drive over to the Wright Brothers First Flight Memorial.

We were planning on making some coffee and put it in our thermos and bringing a couple of pistachio muffins for our little bike ride, picnic breakfast adventure.

We woke up later than planned and Veronica's alarm clock had not gone off for some reason. I then noticed that one of our clocks showed a time of 1 hour earlier than what all of our other clocks showed.

It then dawned on us that we had missed setting our clocks back an hour before going to bed last night.

As a result we ended up heading out the door at the time that we had originally planned.

We drove the 3 miles to a really small airplane landing strip that is adjacent to where the memorial is located.

We off loaded our bikes, loaded up Veronica's new wicker basket that attaches to the front of her bike, loaded our breakfast in the basket and headed off on our morning adventure.

There were not many people out at all on the bike/walking paths so it was really a peaceful quiet bike ride.

Veronica and I rode about 3 miles through neighborhoods that we never knew existed along with some really nice views of the bay and then we took a breakfast break at a boat launch area.

there was a small pier that was part of the boat launch, so Veronica and I walked to the end of the pier, parked our bikes and sat down for a breakfast of coffee and pistachio muffins.

After enjoying our breakfast we decided to head back to where the car was parked.

We ended up riding about 6 miles on our first bike ride.

I am sure that we will do this again as long as the weather and Veronica's work schedule allows us to.

Below are some photos of that we took during our breakfast break. They were taken from Veronica's IPod Touch so the picture quality is not that great.

Visits By Our Deer Friends

2011-11-01T08:47:00.002-04:00

I have not been spending much time making entries in this blog lately.

I could be suffering a case of writers block or maybe a case of not much going on that I feel is important enough to write about.

I have been keeping busy doing my workouts, walking and at times riding my new bike.

Right now I feel like someone who is on a raft just drifting along lazily on a very slow moving river...just kicking back and taking it all in at a very slow pace.

The weather around here has turned Fall-like with temps in the 60s during the day. The days seem to be getting somewhat windier. At times we have had winds blowing at 20 plus mph, which makes walking and bike riding a little less enjoyable.

With all of the exercise that I have been doing, physically I am feeling better and better as each day passes.

I have been leaving out corn for our friends, the deer, every afternoon/evening.

They seem to have got themselves into a routine and pay the corn buffet a visit at least once a day.

I will start putting the salt licks out once it starts to really get cold around here.

Below are a couple of videos I took of our deer friends as they are eating only about a foot away from our window.

Not Just Another Routine Bike Ride

2011-10-23T13:30:00.008-04:00

Today I went for a bike ride around our neighborhood. Since getting this bike a week or 2 ago, I have been trying to remember to bring my cartridge of pepper spray/mace with me.

Ever since getting bit by a local dog while on a walk last August, I always carry my protection with me should the need arise that I have to use it.

Since bicycling is a rather new part to my routine, I have been forgetting to grab it before heading out for a bike ride.

Unfortunately I forgot to take it today and it was today that I could have used it and would have used it.

Let me backtrack for a moment and refresh our memories.

Last August while on a walk, I had this big brown Lab run charge me and latch onto my arm. The dog had previously made aggressive gestures towards me but this is was the first time that it actually bit me and broke the skin.

I called animal control and they responded, took a report, took photos and then went looking for the dogs owners.

I did not know the owners name other than the woman's first name and that they lived in the general area of another neighborhood that is fairly close to our neighborhood.

At some point in time, after Animal Control personnel spoke to the owners, the female owner stopped by our place to check in on me ...to make sure that I was ok and to offer to pay any medical bills associated with the dog biting me...which there were none.

During this discussion, the female owner of the dog told me that this type of incident would never happen again and that their dog would always be on a leash when walking in our neighborhood.

Unfortunately she only kept her word about 30-40% of the time. The rest of the time, this dog whose name is Barney, would walk and run freely when with his owners in our neighborhood.

This never really became an issue because my walks never coincided with Barneys walks....at least until today.

So here I am...minding my own business and riding my bike in our neighborhood.

Guess who comes charging towards me without being on a leash and with his owners about 200-250 feet behind him.

Yep...sure enough it was the dog that had bit me last year...Barney.

Like I mentioned earlier, I didn't have my pepper spray/mace cartridge on me.

It was one of those coulda, woulda and shoulda moments.

All I could do was keep peddling and moving forward, shaking my head in disbelief and hoping that Barney wasn't hungry right then and there.

Barney came right up to me in an aggressive fashion but did not try to get a hold of me this time.

I pulled my bike up to where Barneys owners were.

I looked right at the female owner and stated that I thought that she had promised me that she would not let her dog run freely while walking in our neighborhood in order that I would not get bit again.

This lady told me that Barney has not been allowed to run freely in the neighborhood.

HELLO!!!!...what was that big brown furry thing that just charged at me while you were lallygagging 200 feet behind him. **Please excuse the spelling on lallygagging if it is wrong. I think this is the first time I have ever used that word in a written sentence. Actually I can't remember ever seeing it written anywhere else either. So if it is spelled wrong, how about just giving me a free pass on it...after all the word is lallygagging.

This was when the male owner decided that he wanted to really get involved in this conversation.

To kind of put it in a nutshell...the male owner of Barney decided to get in my face and I mean IN my face, jutting his pot belly out so that it made contact with me and promptly told me that he did not like my attitude, that it was my fault that I got bit last time, that he did not like the way I handled the situation last time...he did not like the fact that I called Animal Control on the dog. He told me that I should have gone looking myself for Barneys owners rather than calling animal control.

I tried to explain to this guy that I am the one that got bit by his dog and I asked him why is it that he is pissed off at me???!!! I also tried to explain to this numb skull that I couldn't look for Barneys owners because I did not know them at all and that I only had seen them in our neighborhood..which is not where they live. The only thing I had for a name was the female owners first name.

I was later told where Barneys owners might live and passed the info onto the Animal Control Officer.

For some reason this guy could not understand the logic of it all. To me it was pretty darn simple...your dog bit me thus it is NOT my job to search all over the place to find its owners so that we could "discuss" the incident and how you did not have control over your dog...it should be noted that the female owner was present when Barney bit me last year and the dog was not on a leash. It is you....the dogs owners responsibility to find me, the one that your dog bit and play nice with me in hope that I don't file some type of civil proceedings against you.

These are the same people that stated that the dog bit me because I wore glasses and on another occasion told me that Barney bit me because they had some type of run in with a police officer while Barney was present.

Huh???

This guy just kept running his mouth spouting off things that made no logical sense at all and he actually believed what he was saying as being gospel. One of the absolute best lines that came out of his mouth was "don't look at my dog and you won't get bit"...hmmm...I must have missed the bus that this guy was on..you know the one that dropped us off back at our Elementary School. Sounds just like something a kid would say..."stop looking at me" or "Mommy make Joey stop looking at me".

Well...after both of us throwing some f*** bombs at each other along with a few other pleasantries thrown in for good measure, we went our own separate ways. I know that the cussing was not the most mature way of handling the situation but you what happens sometimes when testosterone runs amok.

After riding home and telling Veronica what had just occurred, it was decided that I should call the Sheriffs office and file a report. One reason for doing this was that there were 2 of them and just 1 of me and who knows what story these people could come up with. And another reason to file a report was because of their attitude about the whole dog bite incident and there continuing to allow Barney to run free in our neighborhood.

I felt it would be best for some type of official documentation on both of these points.

I did not realize it at the time the whole incident occurred but the entire incident was observed by another person that lives in our neighborhood.

So to wrap this whole story up...a police report was filed, the officer was going over to talk to these people about the legal and civil ramifications of their actions or lack thereof.

I bet you that if this guy didn't like the way I handled the initial dog bite issue, I can pretty much bet you my weeks allowance that this guy will be even less thrilled with the way I handled things this time.

So after the Officer left our place, I decided to get back up on my bike and do a couple of more laps around the neighborhood.

But this time I made sure that I grabbed my pepper spray/mace canister.

No more coulda, woulda or shoulda's for this guy.

	Dates	Port
	Day 1	Venice, Italy
	Venice, Italy The romantic city built entirely on water awaits. Take a famed gondola ride, explore world-class shopping areas, delve into Italy's culinary delights or head out to the Doge's Palace, Piazza San Marco and St. Mark's Basilica or one of the many treasured museums.
	Day 2	At Sea
	At Sea
	Day 3	Corfu, Greece
	Corfu, Greece One of the lushest of the Greek Isles, Corfu is rimmed in dramatic blue waters and topped with tranquil hillside villages. A collection of quaint cafes in the town of Corfu feels very continental, but the island’s secluded coves and sandy beaches could only be found in the Greek Isles.
	Day 4	Santorini, Greece
	Santorini, Greece Whitewashed villages clinging to the sides of the sea cliffs have made the volcanic island of Santorini one of the most widely photographed places in the world. The island's charm and subtle mystery have even made it a target of speculation as the location of the lost city of Atlantis.
	Day 5	Mykonos, Greece
	Mykonos, Greece Mykonos is a classic Greek Island with whitewashed houses, blue-domed churches and windmills. Add a reputation for beautiful beaches and you'll understand why Mykonos is the most popular island in the Cyclades. Explore the island in a 4 x 4 or take a ferry to the tiny island of Delos.
	Day 6	Olympia (Katakolon), Greece
	Olympia (Katakolon), Greece Near Olympia, where the ancient Greeks flocked every four years to celebrate the ancient games dedicated to Zeus, Katakolon has a special feel. You'll find ruins of the Temple of Hera and remnants of what was once the first Olympic Stadium. In fact, historical landmarks can be seen where ever you turn.
	Day 7	At Sea
	At Sea
	Day 8	Venice, Italy