St Augustine, Florida

We are on the road for Buck's work this week.  He surprised me with a couple of days of vacation before he has to be in Miami for work.  We drove to St. Augustine yesterday and pretty much went directly to bed when we got here.  Today we moved to a different hotel (on the beach) 

These are called pancake puppies at Denny's

pretty good!! 

Buck enjoyed his grits and eggs.

 

We did a little shopping at the outlet malls then went sightseeing.  All from the comfort of our truck, of course, wouldn't want to actually STOP and look around.

This is the beach outside our hotel.  The sand is quite hard. 

Buck says they use to race cars in Daytona on the beaches!!! 

Who knew?? 

Trust me ~ this is a historic spot in St. Augustine

(It's a fort)

This is the beach near the public pier.  We walked out to the end

AND witnessed a man pulling in a hammerhead shark!!! 

We also spotted some dolphins.  It was a good day! 

We walked out on the beach and Buck even got his feet wet.  

We are having a good trip ~ not looking forward to work on Tuesday.

We had lunch at the Kingfish Grill

I had steak, Buck has shrimp (and alligator bites)

Not sure if I was praying I wouldn't have to eat one

or just enjoying the view.

 

For the record: I did eat one gator bite

taste like chicken! 

The view from our room in St Augustine Beach

 

Good night sweet readers

What a day!

Today is the last day of August and my alarm went off at 5 a.m.  I was up and dressed and having a pop tart and coffee before Buck was even awake.  We were going FISHING today!!  I am so glad I checked my license ~ they expire TODAY!!!!  We met Kim, Skoot, Jakob, and Christopher at "Browns" ~ they were picking up some biscuits....we were getting gas for the boat ( maybe they were getting gas also??)

Everyone on board??  Let's go.... 

"Look over there," said Topher

The morning sun

making its debut through the fog.

 

The boys and Kim claimed the front
while Buck held down the middle of the boat.

Skoot patiently untangled a line and...

 

was rewarded with the first catch of the day!!!

 

I will freely admit I did not learn to bait my hook growing up and Buck usually does that for me now.  I had to chuckle every time Kim put a worm on her hook she apologized to it first... that didn't stop her from stabbing it repeatedly to make sure it was secure. 

I got the second catch of the day ~ a catfish!! 

Buck got the third. 

He went on to catch another and so did Skoot. 

None of them came home with us and

will live to fight another day.

Kim took the "laid back" approach quite seriously

 

After everyone decided the fish weren't biting, we went for a ride down the Warrior River ~ past the power plant with many barges parked along the river bank.  Some were heavy laden and some were floating high due to the fact that they were empty. 

 

 

Jakob caught a few "rays" 

If you look VERY closely

you will see some worm "juice"

 that splattered on Topher's chest.

Very good day indeed!

Buck, Kim, Jakob, and Topher

 couldn't resist a dip in the river.

 

OH NO!!!! I lost my hat!!!

 

After returning to the dock and saying good-bye to the Wilsons, we stopped at Jack's for a cheeseburger, some fries, a coke, AND an apple pie.  When we got to the house, I feed the dogs, filled the humming bird feeder, put fresh water in the dog pool, took a shower and a NAP. 

 

Looking forward to September!

Back to school

Here it is August and children are heading back to school.  I have to admit I love school supplies.  I will buy myself a new pen, some sticky notes, and a notebook just because I can!  I write things down sometimes so I won't forget ~ sometimes just to get them out of my head ~ sometimes as therapy.  Now where was I?  Oh yes, school....

 

Our daughter, Kim, is the 7th and 8th grade math teacher at Lupton Junior High.  She was pictured in the local paper.  Check out the window covering in the background....all math related, clever, yes?

This is the first day photo I got of the boys (Topher and Jakob) 

from their mother.  I guess everyone needs a little down time after the first day??

I did not receive a first day photo from the girls (Claire and Sarah)

 mom so I am including this one because they are so cute!  Agree???

 

Emma needs to sit herself down and not be in
such a hurry to catch up with her sisters. 

 She needs to stay a baby for a little bit longer....
that sounds rather selfish, doesn't it??

And this is Greyson ~ he just wants to go fishin'

 

Randomness

I don't "work" so what do I do while Buck is away at his JOB??  Well, I mow....LOTS.  Lately I've been trimming shrubbery and trying to burn the waste.  BIG problem with that ~ RAIN!  Everything gets soaked and when I try to burn....I get lots of smoke.

My latest attempt to clear some land. 

Buck got a new tackle box and is happily organizing it.

We got the boatport delivered and set up last week

NOW HOW AM I GOING TO MOW AROUND THAT??

A favorite photo of Sarah and Claire because they seem to be sharing a secret.

When Jennifer and the girls visited Emma took to Jakob right away. 

On a recent trip to Texas, Buck ate rattlesnake bites as an appetizer

(No, I did not try one) 

Greyson has had a growth spurt recently

We ate lunch at this casino in Mississippi

(but didn't play any games) 

What better way to end than with a STANDING Emma.

 

Haven't blogged in quite a while so I will have to get back in the blog mind set.  Just had these photos lying around and wanted to share.

 

 

Well, here we go.... it has been an age since I blogged.  We disconnected our house phone and I've been working with a hotspot from AT&T and was under the impression that I could not hook it up to the "big" computer.  SURPRISE!!  I can and did....

Where to begin??

Jennifer and her girls came last week.  It was GREAT!  We had been having rain almost every day but while they were here it didn't.... we were able to swim every day!  They left for Colorado last Monday and what do you think happened???? It started raining again!

Kim and her boys came almost every day they were here and that was wonderful.  Topher skipped out on us a couple of days to go play in the World Series in Mississippi but we forgave him that.

Lisa and Greyson came over on Saturday, sure did enjoy having all the girls here.  Buck even took three days off work, CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT??

Now for some photos:

Not so patiently waiting 

Emma's first airplane experience 

Jennifer and Buck 

Seasoned travelers, Sarah and Claire

After a day of shopping Kim treated us to Stix

Claire was a little afraid but totally enjoyed the show 

Granddad let Emma drive the new boat

(something I've never done) 

Everyone went for a swim in Smith Lake!!!!

 

My sweet girls

A lap full of goodness!!

 

That's all for now.....

 

Pre Spring Storm

The blue black darkness greets me
When I open my eyes in the wee hours of the morning
There is quiet, an eerie quiet, a foreboding of things to come.
People scurry from place to place
In the hope of being ahead of the storm.
The silence is broken by the lightening and thunder
As the wind begins to howl and the rains come.
People huddle with their loved ones, bracing for the worst
At last the skies clear and we rise to survey the damage.
Everyone accounted for and our homes intact,
We live to serve another day

Blue skies and rainbows?

The clouds break
And blue skies appear
The sun smiles down
There is nothing to fear
We have weathered the day, the night, the gloom

Hallelujah!

March 1st

Today is March 1st, 2012 I was able to get the lawnmower started today and made a few rounds in the yard. I sat outside for a bit afterward and watched the dogs enjoy the fresh water I put in their pool, spied a few finches on the feeder, and just took in the beauty around me. It was a great feeling, sitting in the sunshine....smelling the freshly mowed grass. I hope your March 1st has been a great one as well...