Friday, July 31, 2009

What? No Cloud Pics?

Wow. I've gone several days now without new cloud pictures. Don't get me wrong, it's not that it hasn't been rainy in Orlando. We've had some downpours, but not here in St Cloud. Just a few passing showers.
I got caught in one of the downpours today during a fender-bender. NO, it wasn't my fault. The young woman bumped me from behind. She had a tag holder that didn't have a tag in it and I think there was a screw sticking out. I got a puncture in the bumper. But you know, my old Highlander has seen better days, so I guess it's a minor thing. I kinda hollered at her when it happened because I had to get out of my truck in the pouring rain. But after I got all her DL and insurance info, I apologized for my rant. I'm afraid I scared her a bit. I am quite intimidating when I'm miffed; I look pretty darn tough. I mean after all, I, myself did the same thing to a brand new Ford Mustang a few years ago. That's why they call them accidents, right?

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Not My Photo

A honking wall cloud over central Florida. I didn't take it. I borrowed it from a local TV site. Awesome, right?

Dwain And The Blond

Before the summer haircut.

She looks like a bear.

Post-haircut. Still thinks the bed belongs to her.

Dwain amd Lucy cuddling.

Skip These If You're Bored

Big pretty ones.

A nice towering cumulus looking to the east from Brooke's neighborhood.(Remember to click on the image to see the full size photo. Not that anyone finds clouds as interesting as I do.)
Not a wall cloud, but it had possibilities. From the golf club.

Taken from Brooke's house one day after I got off work.

Framed nicely I thought.

Almost heavenly.

Ding! Dong! The Witch Is (Not Dead) Gone!!!


Buh-bye, Debbie. I'd cry, but I'm not Korean. Poor Debbie. She milked it until the very end. What EVER will The Next Food Network Star do without the DRAMA QUEEN???? I don't know the answer to my own question, but I surely know that Melissa is my fav and Jeffery isn't all that bad. Thank goodness I won't have to hear "Korean X10" a million more times. Don't let the door hit you in your sizable hiney. Adios, Debbie. I'd say it in Korean, but I'm NOT KOREAN!!!!!

Testing TwitterFeed

There's always an app or proggie to do the very thing you were wanting your blog or Tweets to do. Somebody WWAAAAAAYYYYY smarter than I am has already contemplated and resolved the issue I'm pondering. We'll see if that's the case with submission of my blog to TwitterFeed. It's all wrapped-up in the RSS feeds stuff that I frankly don't care to understand fully. However, if it serves the purpose I'm shooting for, I think I'll be in high cotton. (That's good, right?)

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

More Food Network Humor

They LOVE poking fun at Ms. Lee. I hope she has a good sense of humor. She probably laughs all the way to the bank.

Another Viv--Precious!!!

Not Keeping My Promise, Am I?

I told myself and you that when I came back to blog, I'd try to keep my posts mostly personal, family stuff without all the political hub-ub. But as a semi-rational, thinking being it is SO difficult not to SCREAM day and night about the country we love.
What are we doing to America? It makes me so sad to think that my grand babies will not grow up to know the America I knew. Heck, no, it wasn't perfect, but America aimed for perfection. The current state of affairs and the future that looms before us makes me sad and mad and it makes me want to hold someone accountable.
I try to think historically. I try to remember assaults on our freedom. Those assaults have primarily been from outside our country. Americans united and fought and bled and died to overcome any would-be power that tried to make America less. That is not the case today. Our country is going to hell in a hand basket and it's our "elected officials" that are carrying the basket, opening the door and pushing us through it.

Is Anyone Out There Paying Attention?

Not you, dear reader. I mean---did they get what they expected, wanted, prayed for?
Is this it?
Seriously, folks, is this what you VOTED FOR?????

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Look What I Found

They wouldn't let me embed the video but you can see "Lancelot Link: Secret Chimp" here.
Is there anything better than Lance?

Monday, July 20, 2009

Viv Submission (Always Superb)











Food Network Humor Said It Best

Goodbye Jamika. I'll miss you. You told it like it was, girl. They don't go for that in marketing. "We was robbed." Oh, by the way, Debbie is Korean. ENOUGH ALREADY!!!!

Dropped Everything To Take Storm Snaps








I usually drive up to the St Cloud golf course to take pictures of the storms that roll through. The view is usually so blocked by the flat lands in the neighborhood. Although, this last one shows we got quite a good "gusting" as well.

I don't care if the family thinks I'm weird by filling-up my hard drive with hundreds of pictures of storm clouds. I DO love me some storm clouds. Every cloud is unique. Don't they realize that? (grinning broadly)

Besides, the storms in Florida are so different compared to the Oklahoma storms. Oklahoma storms can be huge and go up 60-thousand feet or more in the severe cells. In Florida, it seems like the storms clouds almost touch the ground and don't go up nearly as high. Completely different experience. Since the cloud-tops never get as high down here (usually) our tornadoes are generally F0 or F1. It's rare for us to get a whopper.

We had an F0 tornado in Orlando the other day. The damage was limited to a few roofs and pool screen enclosures. Again, not as scary as Tornado Alley super cells. (I used to hide under overpasses rather than report on those big boys.)

Friday, July 17, 2009

"Calling Doon The Line"

The artist is Alan Bryden.

I found this at a Scotland interest site I follow from time to time. The tune is haunting,

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Daddy May I Have a Pet?

There should only have been one winner. On the riverbank was Jessica Wanstall, 4ft 10in tall weighing less than 84lb and something of a tiddler among anglers.
In the river was a monster, a near 9ft catfish that hit the scales at a record 193lb.
But despite its size and whiskery age, the fish was no match for the skills of 11-year-old Jessica who waged a 20-minute battle to land her prize.
Read more:

Because Brooke Loves Her So...NOT

Princess Diana and Disney's Coronado Springs Resort

Brooke and I had lunch at the Pepper Market at Coronado Springs. She didn't feel like a tour of the joint, so I made do with pics from the windows.

Coronado Springs in and out.

Brooke with Kate obscured taking a breather at CS.

The view above the lobby fountain. Quite pretty in real life. Photo doesn't do it justice.

They were having a TOPS (Taking Off Pounds Sensibly) convention at Coronado. This is a view of the lobby fountain.
Little Panchito
Since we couldn't take pics inside the exhibit we get this pose of Brooke.

You'll notice the uncanny resemblance between Diana and myself. Makes me shiver.



The only non-blurry picture I got inside before the Cast Member shuffled my camera off to Buffalo. The non-publish worthy pics were taken with my cell. I may add them if the mood strikes.

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Girls' Day Out

I'll post snaps tomorrow from our visit tomorrow as Brooke and I visit "Diana: The People's Princess" exhibit at Downtown Disney. It's been traveling around the US. I'm glad it's made a stop at Disney. No doubt this will be as close as I ever get to anything remotely British.
"New to Downtown Disney®, “DIANA – The People’s Princess” is a limited-time experience that showcases the life and story of one of the most iconic and inspirational figures in recent history, Princess Diana. A sampling of the royal dresses she chose to auction for charity and hundreds of authentic artifacts relating to her life is on display in a 17,500-square-foot setting at Downtown Disney® West Side, adjacent to DisneyQuest®. This unique exhibition is one of the largest collections of royal dresses and rare artifacts ever assembled for an American audience and provides an in-depth historical perspective of her life. The exhibit includes five rarely seen royal dresses worn by Princess Diana."


For Alex and Jennifer

Saturday, July 11, 2009

My New Motto

Excellence is an art won by training and habituation.
We do not act rightly because we have virtue or excellence,
but rather we have those because we have acted rightly.
We ARE what we repeatedly do.
Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.
--- Aristotle

The Greatest Movie Line, Ever....

Here's a great submission by my partner in non-criminal activity Viv. Thanks, Viv!!!
Most people say the greatest movie line was Clark Gable's delivery to Vivien Leigh in Gone With the Wind: 'Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn'. Some favor Arnold's "I'll be back." But the greatest, most accurate, and most timely movie line was Bob Hope's from a real oldie with Paulette Goddard and Richard Carlson. There was no PC in those days and Bob was king of the one liners! Enjoy the 20 second clip.

Neat Looking Storms Tonight


We had a brief tornado warning in the county tonight.
I couldn't resist taking a few snaps before the rain moved-in.

Thursday, July 09, 2009

Monday, July 06, 2009

Monday Events

I didn't go to work today. Dwain's bowling activities caught-up to him. His knee was really giving him fits. Turns-out last night, Donnie was coming down stairs at a movie theatre and sprained his ankle. We were at the doctor's office at the same time. It doesn't help they got Dwain's appointment wrong and we had to come back an hour and half later.
To make a dragging day worse, we had to wait almost an hour and a half after the second appointment to be taken back. Sheesh. If this is efficient, I can only imagine what nightmares await us when the GOVERNMENT is in charge of health care. (We wouldn't even be typing about this because I doubt if there will even be a thing as same-day appointments. They just won't exist. Same month? Same year? Heaven only knows.)
We spent part of the afternoon buying plants for the continuing yard (garden) remodel. We went to a huge nursery in Oveido/Slavia that we've been to before. It threatened rain, but we made it out unscathed with eight hearty specimens. Then when we got home we took a proper nap. What an exciting day it was all 'round!!

You KNOW I Love Weather Pics!!!

Lightning in Uruguay
(MARIANA SUAREZ, AFP/GETTY IMAGES)
Lightnings illuminate the night sky of Montevideo as a thunderstorm unfolds over the Uruguayan capital on July 5, 2009.

Sunday, July 05, 2009

Last One & I'm Off To Bed


The view from Brooke's back yard. It was hotter than blazes and so humid you could cut the air with a butter knife. But it was a seriously pleasant view. We've already had so much rain this early summer and rumor has it this work week will be a wet one.

My Essay: What I Did On Independence Day

We had a fun afternoon playing "Apples to Apples" and just visiting with Rhonda, Jackie, Donnie and Brooke before a dinner of BBQ at Brooke's house. Yum.
Then before dusk, we traveled down to the St. Cloud Lakefront at East Lake Toho to watch the fireworks. It was a really traditional Independence Day!
(I'll say 4th of July, but it's one of my peeves that just stating the date rather takes away from the true meaning of the holiday. I know, up on my soapbox again.)



The father and mother-to-be.

Dwain, the back of Jackie's head and part of Donnie

Donnie's profile, Brooke and Rhonda

Donnie, Brooke and almost Rhonda
Which reminds me: See all the riveting things you've been missing while I've been on hiatus or sabbatical? My life is not exciting, but we're a happy bunch of coconuts.