There is absolutely no "Statute of Limitations" for cyber stalking and rude, anonymous rants.
Be assured that you will be "outed" to all present, whenever, wherever it may be. 

Misguided Cyber-Stalker

Poor, rude, sorry coward commenting on my post like that, you have thoroughly embarrassed yourself with your lack of information, honesty and character. Please please introduce yourself when we meet, although we know who you are (C.K.) because of your cowardly style.  Know that when we are introduced, it will be exposed to all in presence, that you are THE Cowardly Liar and a Cyber-Stalker..   Gosh, you need serious help and confirmed our beliefs.  It is clear that you are jealous of our Love, Relationships, Children and Honesty, getting some kind of Sick and Twisted Kick out of peering into the windows of our lives.  You are going to be SO surprised at what truth will do to you!

IP address' are traceable, visit frequency and dates all recorded, available to print.  (to bring to our introduction)

That was a real show of your bravery and class posting anonymously!  Really, get help...

Wow

It must be very sad and boring for some people in Owatonna Minnesota... Oh well, keep checking, maybe some day I'll have a new post and you can get your creep fix.

Happy New Year

Not much snow on the ground, feathery flakes drifting down this morning... are we going to have inches more so we can enjoy more snow-shoeing?

maybe more to come!

Unusual Winter, No?

Our snow-shoes are hanging on the garage walls, waiting as are we. A couple light dustings of snow with a drizzle of ice under it.. that's about it.

We will soon experience sub-zero temps.. forecast anyway.. pretty much the scenery driving around Minnesota is the same as it was in October.

This picture shows what our cozy home looked like at this time last year...



Besides going for walks, there is really not a lot of outside activities for us so far this Winter.. It is too cold to comfortably work-out in the garage, soooo, I brought the old Solo Flex machine into the basement to provide some motivation and exercise.. not too bad, even going through the motions, with light resistance to stay flexible.

Finally got an ACCORDION that is of reasonable quality for the price... I am amazed at how playing Christmas carols came back to me after receiving a copy of my original music book from Amazon.

A little searching on the web and I found a book of Beatles Hits for accordion and the wonderful tune "Bella Notte" from Lady and the Tramp. Practicing and playing "Michelle", "Yesterday" and "All my lovin' " seems like these tunes were made for playing on the accordion with the progressive chording and fun. I am trying to perfect "Bella Notte" by Valentine's day, when I will be CHEF Marty, preparing a romantic Italian Style feast for about 40.. hopefully I will come out of the kitchen and play the song.. However, no meatballs will be provided for couples to roll with their noses.

Life and Love is great, Blessings are many, Time with Family (Grand-kids) and Friends is wonderful.. the roads have been good for travel... oh yeah!

Peace!

New Year and New Posts Coming Soon

This has been and incredible Holiday Season. We have had wonderful times visiting with Family and Friends. 2012 will be a great time to begin posting frequently, highlighting the Exciting Times of our lives!

Peace!

I REALLY do not like, yet, this new blogger format!

A Vacation From Blogging

As daytime get shorter and the temperature drops I will be finishing up our vacation from this blog and see what flows........

Duluth... all to ourselves!

A couple of days, the need for a road-trip and get away and let our minds open and breathe.. that's what we were thinking.

Peggy and I love going to Lake Superior, the scenery, the air and the food... and of course the people we encounter.

We let Scooter and Charlie stay at the "dog hotel" in Brainerd and headed out Weds morning, anxious to get to our favorite bakery in McGregor.

We fueled up, big-time, with scones, fresh berry danish, a pecan bar and a loaf of honey/corn bread.


We drove east past 35w and took the snaky back way into Duluth, through Jay Cooke state park. There was a sidewalk days type event going on downtown Duluth, but the rest of the city was open for our dibs.

We walked along the boardwalk, got a smoked trout sandwich to split and picnic at the aerial bridge and just relaxed...

We decided to keep going north and stay at Two Harbors.. what a treat that ended up being!

We explored the town and headed towards the lake, for all the times we've been through Two Harbors, I didn't know there was an old lighthouse and museum on the point.. can't see it from the roads.
We cooled our feet in the lake, it was very sunny and warm.. perfect day.















On a hiking trail heading north, away from the lighthouse, we came upon a grove of weirdly mutated trees... burls or bunions? Pretty cool looking though.

Two Harbors also has a railroad station museum and a display of the largest steam locomotive ever used on the iron range.. #229, a huge piece of machinery indeed! The town and area organizations are raising funds to do some needed restoration work on it. I would have loved to climb around on it and peek inside... but the signs said "NO"








Also displayed is the last steam powered tug-boat used in the harbor.. the Edna G. It was not open for tours, but I was able to climb around near it and practice our "trick photography".




As usual, Peggy and I found a very friendly coffee shop. It was already getting pretty warm outside as the town readied itself for Heritage Days. We timed this visit perfectly.. lots of fun displays and booths setting up around town.

Great to have an early start to our day, we watched Two Harbors waking up and getting ready to celebrate.







Touring the lighthouse and keepers quarters, we were surprised to find this high-chair.. EXACTLY like the one my Mother had coveted for years and is now being used by Granddaughter Lydia Grace! We knew we were where we were supposed to be for sure.













Years ago, an ore ship was caught by strong winds and turned into the rocks and wrecked here. The pilot-house of the ship was brought up to the lighthouse location as part of the historic displays... pretty cool. In it are the hand written logs of the ships engineer as he tried to reverse the engine thrust and pull off the rocks, with no success... great stuff to explore. Peggy looks magnificent on deck and would make an excellent Captain to anything I would want to sail for sure!




We wanted some smoked fish for lunch and headed to the shop we bought teriyaki trout on our recent honeymoon.. "Louie's"

The woman working there was excited when we came in, telling us how lucky we were in our timing... they had JUST TAKEN HONEY SMOKED SALMON OUT OF THE SMOKER!... it was still hot!

Lucky indeed, we bought a huge chunk along with some cheese curds... we headed south to a remote area where we could park, and climbed out on the rocky shoreline for a real lunch.. there was even a large flat rock for our table. We had our honey-corn bread, tearing off pieces, smooshing warm trout on and eating rustic sammiches... awesome good...


The camera has begun acting up, getting out of focus and hazy, fuzzy pictures sometimes.. we'll need to think of replacing it soon..

We love placing the camera on rocks or perches and, using the timer, run into place for our romantic shots... like this!






On our way, meandering as we drove, back home, we came upon a great view of the St. Louis river flowing north and eventually into Lake Superior.

We always get a little screwed up, compass-wise, when rivers are flowing anything but south...

We had an incredible adventure, even assisted in the rescue of a tiny skunk that had its front paw stuck in a waste basket at the hotel. Beautiful scenery, a fabulous dinner at the Rustic Inn, north of Two Harbors, and lots of time to talk, share and celebrate our Love and Life!

Peace!

Doin the Minnesota Summer Thing...

Peggy and I are making Summer happen.. taking time to do the things we talk about, and hoped would happen in our great north Summer season!

Last Sunday was rough for me.. I miss my friend Chip. We went to a nearby park and sat at a picnic table over-looking the Mississippi and Rice Lake.. some quiet time, some gentle talking and I felt much better.. it is calming. I know Pastor Chip would not want us to be sad, but rejoicing at where he is now...

We loaded the bicycles on the rack and drove up to Nisswa to ride another stretch of the Paul
Bunyan Trail... We peddled north, excited to see new sights and enjoy the fresh air and sunshine. We may have overdone it a tad...(imagine that), but rode to Pine River. Over a couple nice bridges, through the woods and along lakes. We found a coffee shop in Pine River and enjoyed some refreshment and walked around a little before heading back. Pequot Lakes was our next stop on the way back.. Lakes Latte for something to drink and a fabulous Monster Cookie. Our legs got a little heavy as we got back.. about 38 miles total for the day though! I was looking forward to getting home and grilling big chicken breasts for supper! (and they was awesome)

Yesterday we needed to cool off and enjoy a lake. We left the dogs at home and found this great beach.. I remember being here about 50 years ago! One of the greatest beaches in Minnesota, I think.. The water was very cold.. the recent heavy rains have not helped that, but it was wonderful to see the lake level way up from the past couple years.. we waded out
over 200 yards and I took the plunge and swam around some before we waded back in the clean soft sand.. notice how clear the water is!

Dipping our tootsies in the lake and sitting on the sand beach.. a great way to relax and catch some rays.

The beach was busy, but not crowded. We stayed until about 5:30 or so, which was a good choice.

As we were leaving we noticed many others were picking up quickly and heading to their cars.. sand flies were coming out and they was a bitin'

We are really enjoying these times.. camping, hiking, biking and such... maybe a little more "quiet time" as we are with each other, comforting and supporting, as we continue to absorb the reality of losing a best friend...

May all that we do, bring Honor and Glory to His name!

Peace!

In Honor of a True Disciple

This man was the real deal, he IS the real deal.. Pastor Chip I love you,

I am a part of the "fellowship of the unashamed". I have Holy Spirit power. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I am a disciple of His. I won't look back, let up, slow down, back away or be still. My past is redeemed, my present makes sense and my future is secure. I am finished and done with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tame visions, mundane talking, chintzy giving and dwarfed goals.



I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits or popularity. I don't have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded or rewarded. I now live by Presence, learn by Faith, love by Patience, lift by Prayer and labor by Power.




My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is Heaven, my road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions few, my Guide reliable, my mission clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, diluted or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of adversity, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity or meander in the maze of mediocrity.

I won't give up, shut up, let up or burn up 'til I've preached up, prayed up, paid up, stored up and stayed up for the cause of Christ.

I am a disciple of Jesus. I must go 'til He comes, give 'til I drop and preach 'til everyone knows.

And when He comes to get His own, He'll have no problem recognizing me.... my colors will be clear.

Peace!

After 2 Aprils, is it finally May and Spring?

At last, sitting down to post with pictures of our exciting May...

I don't remember any Spring that has dragged on so cold, not just cool, cold, rainy and gray.. 40's in the morning, warming up to maybe 50's by noon, windy, rainy and drizzling days but great sleeping weather for nights.

There have been some Sunny warm days scattered in the month, and we have taken advantage of them for sure!

In spite of all the "inside" and "down" time,
May has been an incredible month, physically, mentally and spiritually...

With our hitch mounted bike-rack, Peggy and I can quickly and easily load up and head out for bicycling adventures.. the wheels "quick-release" from the dog-hauling trailer, it folds flat, and easily fits in the back of Bella.

We took Sunday afternoon and went to the Cuyuna Lakes and Iron Mine bicycle trails near Ironton... 6.6 miles end to end, so far and we peddled back and forth twice, really enjoying the new (for us) views and all the singing birds.


Many scenic places to stop along the ride, the deep flooded mines were calm and surreal with the gray skies.

Alert and excited, Scooter and Charlie watched everything and barked "hello" to other bikers, fishermen and kids along the way..





Good parking with access to the trail, passing DNR officers stopped and took pictures of our trailer and set-up with the dogs.. very cool.

Orioles, rose-breasted grossbeaks, finches, and many other birds serenaded us on our ride... we will be coming back here to do this again and it is great to see that there is more construction on the north end of this trail to expand it.

In this area also is a brand new mountain bicycle trail, rated in the top 10 in the entire country. There were many riders checking that out too.



Taking a little chance with rainy weather, I could not take it any longer, not seeing my grand-daughter Lydia Grace, Daughter Katie and Charlie.

I packed up the Kingpin and headed south.. gray and very breezy, I got a bit wind-burned riding, but it was sooo worth it!

8 months old, beautiful, curious and bright, we had a fabulous 3 day visit...

Lydia is teething, growing and very in motion.. when she is still, she loves being read to. Just like when I read to her mother, pointing to pictures and making little noises while reading is still just as much fun.




What an appetite! Lydia loves to eat and the social part of mealtime.

It was a hoot to watch her devour an entire avocado.. BEFORE her jar of infant sweet potato stuff and some little cracker thingys.

Healthy and beautiful! She is a charmer and loves to giggle...




Our motorcycle ride, the "Run For the Cross" was a rain-0ut!

About 1/2 the bikers showed up to ride with the weather report predicting heavy rains.. that did not stop some of us though!

My hands were still kind of black after scrubbing, my soaked gloves bled black into my skin. My boots had a couple inches of water IN THEM and we were pretty soaked through and through.


After about 35 miles, the decision was made to return to our Chapel for fellowship and our meal.

Great food, great visiting and dry-off time through the afternoon. Drawings for prizes and lots of laughs.

Again this year, Peggy and I rode the only Victory in the group. Awesome, we roared with authority in the pack with our Stage-One performance pipes.



We went camping near Mankato at Minneopa State Park. We barely got situated after having to change our campsite location due to flooding in the area, and it started to rain heavily again.

We did go for a nice long hike anyway, after all, the doggies and us can only get so wet. We went to the waterfall area. A wedding was taking place at the falls pavilion and was a wash-out.. that should be good luck?

The remnants of an old grain mill is up on a hill in the park and was a really cool place to visit.

Not letting the rain get us down, we playfully walked the old trails and enjoyed the rushing waterfall.. it looks an awful lot like Minnehaha falls in Minneapolis.

Note the old structures.. some updating and care is needed. The sides of the bridge over the falls are deteriorating and the sides are very low, by today's safety standards... this park was like going back in time...

This park was used many years ago by hard working families, arriving by train at the nearby station and spend Sundays here having picnics to relax,
according to the signs and information in the interpretive center.

Peggy is standing on the bridge with an umbrella. I have driven by this park and it's entrance many times through the years and never explored inside. It was surprising to see such a waterfall in this part of Minnesota, and it was really flowing with all the recent rains.... very cool!





Just right for Peggy and me with Scooter and Charlie at our feet, the Hubba-Hubba tent held up to it's reputation and kept us dry and cozy through the stormy night.. easy to break down, we went into town for breakfast rather than cook in the rain.. still a really fun time.

We snacked on hearty bread and hummus.

Saturday we went on a Benefit Walk to raise funds and awareness for Heart Defects in Newborn Babies.. "Lasting Imprint" is the organization and Peggy's daughter organized the event... that's us in the first picture of the post, glad the rain was stopping at noon, just in time for the walk and event!

We are stoked and getting in gear for Summer, drying out from an extra cool and soggy Spring..

Grateful this Memorial Day for all Americans that have served our Country With Honor!

Blessed beyond belief, living in true love....
Peace!

Our SUV "Bella"

Peggy and I have lots of fun with the word "Bella". It's been going on for quite some time. Our Italian Seasoned Breadcrumbs are Bella brand... I think the word had been in a few movies we've watched.

In time it has come to mean "excellent" or "beautiful" to us... our own word. How's the soup?.. itsa Bella! how was your day? it was a Bella day!

Peggy wanted to name our new vehicle... Chevrolet Equinox had too many syllables.. Red was a consideration, after all it is Cardinal Red Metal Flake... oh well.

We decided to call it Bella.

We're still breaking it in, keeping it switched to the "eco" mode of driving, which is still plenty fun. All wheel drive.

The dogs love riding in the back in their bed. We'll be packing it tomorrow morning with all sorts of stuff for a weekend get-away of work and play... oh yeah!

The dealer installed our "Rigid" hitch so now we can mount a bike rack that way for those adventures! We also had roof rack cross beams installed so we can load kayaks or a canoe up there too... Peggy and Marty's Adventure-mobile, "Bella".

State Park Sticker for Bella and a good days hike

A perfect day for hiking through Crow Wing State Park..

Memory-foam beds for dogs?... oh yeah! Now with our new SUV, we want to be set to bring Scooter and Charlie along with us on our adventures even more... first thing is getting the rear set so they can be comfortable and want to stay secure in the back. Although it takes up a little more room than we thought it would, we got the dogs a nice doggie bed, and WOW, I wish they made loungers like these my size! It is a fuzzy dish stuffed with memory-foam scraps and they love it.

Nice compartments for the leashes, water and other necessities, we'll soon have milk crate type boxes pre-packed to load in the back, depending on the type and duration of adventure we may be off on.. awesome! And the ride is sublime!

I bought a "memory stick" device to store music on. I dragged over 350 songs from iTunes onto it and USB'd into our Bella's sound system, it even automatically alphabetized them.. we hit "random play" though, and off we went.

We got a State Park Sticker and had the entire park to ourselves this fine day. The Mississippi looks calm, but it is moving very fast and is high on the banks. We visited the campsite we had used 2 nights a couple years ago, hiked along the river and enjoyed all the singing birds and frogs. We were lucky and only found one wood tick later, they are not out yet in force. Beautiful day in the park.

We had a backyard picnic later and relaxed in the Sun, getting rosy cheeks we found out later...

I built, out of threaded pipe sections and fittings, a nice rack for our deck and attached it to the top of the east rail. We will get a couple hanging pots of flowers and a bird feeder, after I paint it... pictures soon.

Lilies pushing up and out, we have some purple cone type blossoms already on some tiny bulb plants we put in last year. Now the yard-work-fun starts.. soon dry enough to rake up the thousands of small pine cones in the back.. We got the dirt turned over a couple times, nice and fluffy loose outside the back fence now for planting cannas bulbs and other fun stuff.. wee-hoo!

It's been a late Spring here in Brainerd, teaser days of Sun and warm, followed by icy breezes and sleet.. We are all getting excited for the "Run for the Cross" coming up on May 22.. great people, great motorcycles and a really great time.

This weekend will be in Grand Rapids helping the kids move and maybe some painting too!

Life and Love continues to be blessed beyond all hopes...

Peace!

Mixin' it up for Spring

Summa this, summa that... it's been great fun for Peggy and me to be really flexible so far this Spring. With the weather here going between extremes, indoor and outside activities have been both possible and enjoyable..

Taking care of our 4 year old grandson last week was awesome inside and out. Playing board-games and reading stories, to outside (using my best Elmer Fudd voice) "be vewwy quiet, I'm hunting dog poop" adventures in the back yard. The quick thaw in the yard made all kinds of mischief possible... after cleaning it up some. Swinging in the park, slide scooting and other fun stuff filled our days and put a huge smile on our faces.... the house seems "vewwy quiet" now.

The Sun has melted off the bike trail through town, and after pumping up tires and oiling chains, Peggy and I kicked off our riding season in very nice weather. We are planning on doing a lot more bicycling adventures this year... I'll be soon looking at a "hitch-mounted" bike carrier system for "Bella". We'll be able to bring our bikes camping and to trail-heads. Oh Yeah!

With cooler, cloudy and misty days, we've had a hoot redoing our bedroom. Painting the ceiling and walls was fun, now the ceiling is WHITE and the walls are "Terra Bella", a warm, reddish tan. Yesterday I hung the new mini-light system, a double curved, polished bronze 3 light fixture that just seems to bring the shape of the room all together. We also got new fabric "Roman shades" for the upstairs windows. Next will be the room at the top of the stairs (also Terra Bella) and one outside wall and down the steps, a nice blue.. an identical light fixture will go in that room also.... busy, busy....

I've done some sub-40 rides on the Kingpin, yesterday going to the dealer for the Spring oil change.... I might have to get a windproof face mask bandanna type thing and insulated gloves.
Nice to have the King serviced now as the "Run for the Cross" is coming up... over 100 big bikes, over 100 fun miles all for a great cause.

Putzing in the yard, garden plans coming together, seeds arrived from Gurneys... and today it is 35 with some snow expected tonight... what a mix!

My accordion may show up today or Monday, I'm looking forward to "diddling around", practicing and seeing how quickly it comes back to me, if at all... I've been falling asleep at night with accordion ideas and music drifting through my mind, it must be time...

Warm enough for "garage work-outs", boxing and weights, physical therapy helping to keep the core strengthened and less painful, just not feeling my age at all!

Peggy and I will probably buy a State Park Sticker this weekend, all kinds of adventure ideas rattling around between the 2 of us.

It's been a great Combo-Spring so far, keeping in mind some of what was recently heard in one of our sermons...
We're so quick and likely to talk to our family and friends about such a variety of things in our lives: the great, funny, can't miss movie we watched, the news stories or small talk, BUT, why not share too how much better our lives are, letting our Lord God direct with His wisdom and care, blessing and giving direction, how prayers are being answered and the daily miracles in our lives?

Peggy's and my life are being blessed daily, we are thankful for His strength and grace.....

Peace...

Encouraging Signs of Spring

We've got Spring Fever, we've HAD Spring fever for weeks... Now it is official!

This morning, as the Sunshine was beginning to really warm up and melt the snow, 2 beautiful Robins were pecking around by our back-yard fence. Bold as ever, they did not fly away as I approached with the camera, I think they were pecking for bugs or food, not nesting material, but that will change soon. It was really fun to see them!


Another indication of our changing seasons appeared in the front yard this time. Mr. Bunny has been busy and decorated our lil maple tree with eggs for Easter celebration... awesome!

Peggy and I, to celebrate our 5th month Wedding Anniversary, went to Famous Dave's BBQ last night for Nacho's Grande~ One of our favorite dine out treats.. tasty and a great combination of textures and flavors.. yeah! And then, and then... we shared a luscious bread pudding...

Continuing to Honeymoon, that's the life...

We had an incredible Saturday, going to the cities for my Aunt Margaret's memorial service... a reunion and celebration of life. It was awesome to look through many albums and pictures from long-ago.. many with a young Marty in them. It was a good day for a long drive, weather and traffic-wise. I had not seen most of the relatives and friends for many years, and it was especially great to introduce Peggy to them all. Oh Yeah.. life is very, very good!

Peace!

Early Spring Minnesota Blizzard May Be My Fault

Yup, I just might have to take responsibility for this last Winter Blizzard-like Storm.

I got anxious

I got excited

I was happy

I pushed our luck....


When, even with lots of snow still on the ground and frozen lakes, I fired up the Kingpin and on 2 separate days and occasions, took it out on the roads for a ride.... I couldn't help it.

As soon as the back-yard was fairly clear of snow, the temperature went over 40, and the Sun was out, I put Sta-bil in the gas tank of our snow blower and rolled it into the back shed.. I knew I was pressing our luck...

When the Sun was out brightly enough to feel the warming rays, I took out from storage, 2 Adirondack style chairs and placed them on our deck.. so optimistic....

I have been rearranging the garage and doing my "work-outs" in the warm afternoons with the big door open for fresh air....

I knew it was wrong and did it all anyway....

We were reminded what late Winter/early Spring weather can be like as Monday night and into Tuesday morning we got about 12 inches of sugary, heavy, wet snow... the LARGEST SINGLE SNOWFALL we've had to dig out from.

The temperatures are still low, but the Sun's rays are very warm and intense, doing some melting on the streets... plowed piles are high in intersections.

Oh well, we tried for Spring and got blasted... I would do it all over again though and probably will next year too!

Peace!

Don't have to be nutz, but it helps!

Spring is in the air. It did not get as warm today as yesterday, about 38 compared to 50, but inspiration is inspiration.

Peggy and I have gone for walks, getting some fresh air and Sun on our cheeks. Yesterday we harnessed the dogs and took them for a long walk around the neighborhood. Very nice way to spend an afternoon.

It is supposed to be much warmer here the next few days, 47+ tomorrow, and in the 50's on Sunday. I wanted to start, warm-up and ride the Kingpin around some to "get back in shape".

It was BRISK... only my hands got cold, I wore my full shield helmet, longies, biking pants, boots and a hoodie under my leather jacket... perfect for a short ride around town.

I even met up with 2 of my biker buddies. and we had a cup of coffee at Caribou.

This is the earliest I've been out riding in the Spring. This is Lum Park and Rice Lake of the Mississippi. Cars are out on the ice and there are portable fishing houses out there. I could not go any further down this driveway to the access, as the shaded road still had a couple inches of ice.

The Kingpin fired right up, ran strong in the cold air and I'm ready to go riding with Peggy on the back as soon as it feels more like Spring... in the meantime, I will continue to get "back in shape" with some short rides... oh yeah!

Peace!

Florida Frolics and Falling Figs

Flying far from frozen feet for fun, Florida forewarned "Falling Figs".

Edison planted many tropical trees, shrubs and flowers from around the world at his summer estate in Fort Myers. He did experiments with them, looking at ways to make latex and other compounds...

I found no fallen figs, hoping to make a Newton if I had.



Spending time in an airport between flights can be fun if you know where and how to look. Peggy made friends with this frisky fellow, so excited to see her, he bolted through a gift shop window. We had fabulous big burgers at a Chili's in the Minneapolis airport.. delicious, and they actually had pretty good coffee too.











Not sure of exact spelling, these gorgeous shrubs are borders and hedges around the Edison/Ford estates... bougavelia pronounced boo-gah-vale-e-ah. They are common in yards around town too, like lilacs in Minnesota. The pink is actually not the blossom, more like the colored leaves of a poinsettia, the flower is a tiny white blossom hiding in the clusters of pink... people were drawn to the shrubs all over to take pictures and investigate the color.




It was easy to find stumps and posts to set our camera for self-portraits... we had a few offers for help, but declined."we are good at this", and it's fun to run back and get into position... hah!

Behind us it Edison's Summer home, nice and relaxing style, not a mansion but very cool. Way ahead of it's time for design and function.







This is a stand of big bamboo... one of the reasons Edison was drawn to this area, wanting to research uses for the fibers.

The entire estates of Ford and Edison are very comfortable and lovely, we did not want to leave... everywhere is something of interest or beauty. It was warm but not hot, a hint of breeze and light cloud cover to keep the Sun off our skin, it was a perfect day together.




Near the Fort Myers beach area, this is typical architecture style... tropical and whimsical.. really fun.

We spent the better part of the morning one day, walking in the soft sand, getting Sunshine and watching the beach fill up with vacationers.. more on that some other post.





Sister Paula's backyard is fun to explore also, for us from Brainerd...

Climbing, night blooming cactus', vines, mangoes, palms, orange trees and other great vegetation all over.

This is an OLD stone cistern used, many years ago to collect rain water from a gutter system... it has been engulfed totally by vines and tree roots, no longer accessible, but very cool to look at, a real head-scratcher.... and it was loaded with those funny little jumping lizards.

It was great to have a taste of Summer before our Spring even begins here at home... Peggy and I counted it as another extension of our Honeymoon!

Peace!

Fort Myers back to Brainerd, only an 80 degree difference!

Peggy and I love living in Brainerd, so much to do for fun and great scenery, lakes and people.

But... we wanted to go from this:











To this:










Air travel is not glamorous or wonderful, the way the advertisements portray. Flights were oversold, there were weird delays and a missed connection in Atlanta.... but we did get a free upgrade at Budget Car Rental.

We reserved a compact, and after long lines, more delays and crashed computers at the rental agency, Peggy and I kept smiling and calm, telling the attendant that pretty much our whole day had gone that way, so don't worry about it... we were not in any hurry. The guy smiled and said "I'm gonna give you our new 5 liter Mustang GT for no additional charge." It was a hoot to drive and amazingly powerful with a nice growling exhaust. There is so much heavy traffic in the Fort Myers area, that it was not really that much more fun to drive around, but if we had been on a road trip.. whoopee! This must be Ford's new high performance engine, returning to a 302 cu.


It didn't take me long to get into trouble though, I thought this alligator was dead and crawled close to touch it. It quickly spun around and grabbed my arm and rolled. Glad I had my Martial Arts training, I rolled on top and using leverage and a few blows between its eyes, it released my arm and scurried off... I did chase it a few yards, kicking at its tail and rear end, shaming it. "Bad Alligator, You Go Home!"





More our size, these little lizards or "gizzies" are EVERYWHERE. Literally hundreds of them scurry around the yards making little rustling noises on the dry leaves. They jump about 3-4 feet from tree to tree or rock, and are hard to follow.. nervous little things, this one did pose in the Sun for a picture.







We went out to eat at Sonny's BBQ, just down the road from my sister Paula's house. Paula had a meeting at church so Peggy and I had a lil' romantic meal.

Peggy had the pulled pork with mac and cheese.. Sonny's Sweet Ice Tea is delicious and comes in a huge glass...











I had the pulled brisket of beef with mac and cheese... tender and delicious! We had been on the beach and were starting to feel the Sun on our skin as we sat, so the ice tea really hit the spot!

I'll be posting more about our adventures and fun in Florida with many more pictures, I just needed to give a teaser of our travels... we did have fun!








It is nice to be back home though, we picked up Scooter and Charlie from the Doggie Hotel on the way home from the airport and we got no new snow while we were gone... BUT it was 7 degrees here, it was 87 in Fort Myers.

Life and Love are Blessed as our seasons slowly begin to change here in Brainerd!

Peace!