Play Ball!!

Time for baseball. The Tribe begins the season tomorrow, at home, against the White Sox. It doesn't look like they'll get snowed out this year. Maybe rained out. 162-0 is still a possibility at this point. Every team has pressed the big reset button. Hope springs eternal. GO INDIANS!

Word Origins

A while back, we took a tour of a small part of the Babcock Ranch. Our tour guide referred to the cattle on the ranch as "cracker" cattle. She explained that, in the old days, the men herding the cattle did it mostly by using large leather whips. The cracking of these whips could be heard for long distances. People would remark, "Here come the crackers". Sue and I have found that this phrase is still heard in modern times, usually around 3:30 in local restaurants. I'll be here all week. Remember to tip your waiters and try the veal. Bada bing bada boom.

Birthday, Iguana Mia Style

Sue's birthday has almost come and gone. I have encouraged her to adopt my philosophy that " 60 is the new 50". Our breakfast plans went well, except that we substituted Perkins for Bob Evans. We chilled at home through most of the afternoon (sun soak, reading, soap opera, nap, not necessarily in that order ). Then we headed for Iguana Mia for some enchiladas with all the trimmin's. Mmm, mmm. The birthday girl's meal was free and we got a nice, complimentary ice cream, corn flake, honey desert for us to share. Viva Mexico! She did have to submit to the SOMBRERO OF HUMILIATION. Don't she look cute? A small ice cream cone courtesy of our neighbors, Leigh and Marie was a nice ending for the celebration.

Happy Birthday To Sue!

I couldn't wait until tomorrow to wish my lovely wife a happy birthday. Most of you will probably read this post on the 26th anyway. I promised not to list her actual age in the blog. However, we will be married 38 years in June, I was 24 when we were married and she is two years younger than me. I can't help it if all of you are good at "story" problems.

I also want to take this opportunity to point out one of the mysteries surrounding Sue, Mike, Kris and myself. In the order from the previous sentence, our birthdays are 3/26, 8/27, 3/19 and 6/18. Every year, all four of our birthdays fall on the same day of the week. This year it's Wednesday. It has always been that way. Leap years never mess it up because all the dates are after February. Isn't that strange?

Our main plans for the celebration of Sue's birthday center around a late breakfast at Bob Evans and dinner at a place of Sue's choice. She is leaning toward Iguana Mia because you get a free meal on your birthday(and the food is delicious). Our friends, Leigh and Marie have offered to take Sue and I out for some birthday ice cream at a good place that they have discovered. That's enough excitement for one day.

What A Day!!

We have survived our first "Upheaval" celebration and boy are we tired. The pictures above show some of the entries in the parade that kicked off the whole thing. Our three piece band played for over two hours in the afternoon WITHOUT A BREAK! I want to talk to my union rep. Sue had to keep bringing me sodas because I had no way to get them myself. I didn't drink any beers. Maybe I should have been more "lubricated" because I got a serious case of Mickey Mouse hands on one of the guitar leads. Check out a clip of us doing Jailhouse Rock.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hoia6TRjROk


The evening show started at 7:00 and didn't close until after 9:00, with only a ten minute intermission in the middle. Gator and I did one song each. He did "Today, I Started Loving You Again", in F# no less. I just played it in F and played fast enough to kick it up to F#. I finished the song before he did, but it was only country music. I sang "Blue Bayou", somewhere between the Roy Orbison and the Linda Ronstadt versions. We had fun, which is the key. The crowd estimate for the night show was 400. People actually came in from outside the park for this show. I think that it was the 16th year that they have held the show.




Today, we are relaxing. It rained briefly this morning, but now we have blue skies and sunshine. I plan to get a little UV exposure and then watch Kent play UNLV. After that, I'm thinking nap time.

Round, Round Get Around, We Get Around

We haven't gone long distances, but we have been on the move. Yesterday, we went over to the Manatee Park. Sue and I had been there on our own and with Kris. Each time, we had seen manatees and stingrays. Yesterday, no such luck. The combination of warmer weather and lower water levels seems to be keeping the little nippers out in the river, rather than in the area where they can be seen from the park. Howard had seen manatees before in his earlier times in Florida, but it was still a bit disappointing for all of us.

On to plan B. We traveled about 15 miles to the northeast to the Franklin Locks. This is where water craft of various sizes are taken from the water that is coming down from Lake Okeechobee and put into the water that is flowing to the Gulf of Mexico. (or vice-versa) Usually, it's only a difference of a couple of feet. The locks are surrounded by a nice park, with a beach, picnic areas and even a small campground. A really nice area. The locks are not in the same category as the Panama Canal, which Howard sailed through on a cruise last year, but they were interesting just the same.

Today, we made the 30 minute trip to Fishermen's Village in Punta Gorda. There, we met Chuck and Agnes Peterson, long-time Moomy clan friends, for lunch at Harpoon Harry's. The Petersons have been spending winters near Arcadia for many years, but have decided that this will be their last year there. We had a great time catching up on all the activities of the Moomys, the Petersons and the Halters. Lunch was good too.

Sue's dad's week with us has flown by. We have to get him to the airport by 8:30 tomorrow morning, so I may not be able to watch the end of Jay Leno tonight. We really have enjoyed having him visit us.

Tomorrow is the big "Upheaval" celebration to mark the time when most of the snowbirds start heading home. That name causes me some concern, because beer and food are a large part of the celebration. I have been told, however, that it is just a play of words on Upriver, not reference to anything that happens during the festivities. Whew!! It is a day long affair that includes a parade where people decorate their bicycles, motorcycles, seg-ways, etc. Some of the park musicians, including yours truly, are providing music by the pool from 2:00 to 4:00pm. That is followed by a dinner with all the fixin's. Then, to top it all off, there is The Branson Review. This is a 60-90 minute show, featuring performers and entertainers from the park. My friend "Gator" and I are doing three songs in the second half of the show. I sat through some of the rehearsal last Saturday and there are some very talented people who live here. I'm sure that there will be pictures and information later. Check this blog on Thursday. (not to be confused with Stupid Thursday)

Happy Birthdays, Dave(3/18) and Kris(3/19)

Congratulations, KSU!

Last night, the Golden Flashes men's basketball team defeated Akron U., to win the conference championship, and a trip to the "Big Dance". Now we just have to wait until tonight to see where (and whom) they play. KSU collected quite a few honors in addition to the MAC title. Jim Chistian is MAC Coach of the Year, Al Fisher is MAC Player of the Year, and Haminn Quaintance is MAC Defensive Player of the Year. And remember, this season was the 10th in a row for Kent with 20 or more wins. Fewer than ten teams in the country have ever done that. If they get a double digit seed, teams will not want to meet them in the first round. Go Flashes!!

I LOVE'S MY GOV'MINT

Global Warming?, Oil Company Gouging?, War? Pish Tosh!! Just send us our 1200 smackers.






Do the phrase, "Bread and Circuses", strike a familiar note?

Edison-Ford Winter Homes

Today we took a self-guided tour of the Thomas Edison and Henry Ford estates. Since these men were good friends, their winter homes were next door to each other. Convenient for them and us, don't you think? The Edison family spent more time down here, but Ford usually only came down for a couple of weeks each year. The estates are located in Fort Myers, right on the banks of the Caloosahatchie River.

We had audiophone units that we each carried with us, so that we could listen to narration at the various spots of interest. It was nice to be able to go where we wanted and at our own pace. I sat at the river's edge where Edison used to do the same. I got this idea to invent something really important, but by the time I got back to the car, it was gone.

The lab was used by Edison, Ford and Harvey Firestone to experiment with ways to produce rubber. Many of the trees on the estates were brought in as possible sources of this product. Edison's electric light, phonograph, etc. inventing period had happened much earlier. The large banyan tree in the collage was a gift from Firestone to Edison. It now occupies a whole acre of the estate. Personally, I believe that it was a bonsai experiment gone terribly, terribly wrong.

As we walked back to the car, we got some of that liquid Florida sunshine that our local weather people had failed to predict. We were a little damp, but still happy.

Note: My sour expression in the picture was because Sue wouldn't let me give Henry Ford " bunny ears".

A Visit To The Babcock Ranch

Today we traveled about 15 miles, mostly up state route 31 toward Arcadia, and visited the Babcock Ranch. This is a 91,000 acre ranch that was originally purchased by the Babcock family around 1914. They had made a lot of money in the lumber business in Pennsylvania, and used some of it to make this land purchase. It is one of the largest undeveloped tracts of land in Florida. We boarded the bus that is shown in the picture and took a 90 minute eco-tour of a small part of the ranch.

We saw many native animals and plants. Our guide gave us a lot of information about the area's history, what is being done with it now, and plans for the future. The original purchase was at prices from about 10 to 25 cents per acre. I think it is more expensive today. There are people who live and work on the ranch. Two of the biggest activities are raising cattle and also cultivating sod farms to provide grass for developments all over the state. Typically, there are about 7000 cattle on the ranch at any one time. They only breed and raise them in their early development, then they ship them to other areas (places that have lots of corn and grain) to continue their journey toward "you know what purpose".

The owners have recently made a deal with the state of Florida to take over 74,000 acres that will be kept as a nature preserve. The remaining land, approximately 17,000 acres, will be used to develop an eco- friendly community with houses in lots of different price ranges. It is really quite a project that they have envisioned. Any of you who want to know more should check out their website.

We had a really good time and saw a side of Florida that greeted the early visitors from the northern states. Not a Starbuck's or Skyline Chili in sight.

Waiting For Howard

Sue's dad made the flight from Erie to Detroit with no trouble. However, the plane has been delayed in Detroit for "unscheduled maintenance". They left the gate, then came back. The current information says that he will arrive in Fort Myers at 7:21, instead of the scheduled 6:00. I wouldn't be surprised to see that arrival time pushed even later. We will keep checking on the flight status online and make sure that we are there to greet him.
UPDATE: HOWARD CALLED AND SAID THAT THEY WERE TAXIING BACK TO GET IN LINE FOR TAKE-OFF. THAT'S GOOD NEWS. HE ALSO TOLD SUE THAT HE HAD A SEAT IN FIRST CLASS AND WAS SIPPING A GLASS OF WINE AS HE TALKED. EXCUUUUUUUSE ME!!!!!!

Hornets Play Tough, But Fall Short

The Malvern Hornets played tough until the final buzzer, but lost the regional championship game to Bedford Chanel by a score of 75-65. The team ends the season with a record of 25-1. Congratulations to all the players, coaches and loyal fans. It was quite a ride.

Plans In Place For Next Year

We have signed on to return to Upriver RV Resort next winter. The whole operation here and the many great attractions in the area convinced us to come back. We have scheduled an arrival date of Jan 8th, 2009 and will stay at least three months. Sue's dad arrives next Tuesday and will be here until the 19th. Mike and Kim are coming down on April 5th and staying until the 10th. We always like to have visitors. I'm pretty sure that we will give them better weather than they have at home.

We have made arrangements to get together with Chuck and Agnes Peterson for lunch while Howard is here. We are going to meet them in Punta Gorda, which is about halfway between here and Arcadia where they live. They were next-door neighbors to Sue's family while she was growing up and the two families, adults and kids, were very close. It will be good to see them again.

We hope all of you that are "up north" can stay warm, cozy and safe in the nasty weather over this weekend. Seeing the reports of snow and wind makes us feel lucky that we can be where we are. We saw that all of the boys regional basketball games, statewide, had been pushed from Friday to Sunday. The last that we heard was that Malvern had sold 2700 tickets for their game against Chanel. That is more than twice the population of the town. Hopefully, by Sunday, the weather will be good enough to allow the "Sea of Green" to make it's presence felt.

We're Still Here

For the myriads of faithful readers of this blog, we have not fallen into the Gulf of Mexico. We have just been relaxing and enjoying the weather, etc. I don't want to drone on about where we ate and what we ate all the time. The Islamorada Fish Company in Estero does have great seafood.

We took a drive last Tuesday to check out some of the other RV parks in the area. We are planning to make a decision soon about where we will spend next winter. We like Upriver and have made many friends here. Also, the music guys are pushing to get me to come back next year. The other parks that we looked at had much smaller sites and were generally more crowded, with fewer facilities. If we come back to Florida, we have decided that we would stay at Upriver again. The only other thought is to go to San Antonio. Texas was great the last time, but the beaches here in Florida are hard to leave. We seem to be leaning very much toward Florida.

The Division IV Ohio basketball tournament is down to eight teams now, one of which is the 25-0 Malvern Hornets. In the regional semi-finals, they beat a team that was 21-1 by a score of 103-67. They lost one of the starting guards in the first period. He broke his wrist when he slipped on a pom-pom and fell. Luckily, they had players that could fill in. Young Trevor Halter had 32 points, 24 in the first half. My brother said that Trevor had a "fan club" of college scouts around him after the game. The next game is against Bedford Chanel at 7:30 on Friday, 3/7. WHBC radio in Canton is doing a live webcast of the game, so we will be tuned in.

My predictions for the final four are already 50% wrong. Canal Winchester and Defiance Ayersville, ranked # 5 and #10 were eliminated in the regional semis. The ranked teams that are left are #1, #2, #3, #9 and #11. That #1-#2, undefeated matchup between Malvern and New Knoxville is still a possibility. Stay tuned!!

SWEET SIXTEEN

The Ohio Division IV Tournament is down to 16 teams and Malvern is still undefeated at 24-0. The competition is tough at this stage, but the HORNET NATION is ready for a trip to Columbus. Here are my predictions (AP rankings in parentheses): Columbus Regional winner is Canal Winchester (#5); Canton Regional winner is Malvern (#2); Dayton Regional winner is New Knoxville (#1); and Bowling Green Regional winner is Defiance Ayersville (#10). Since I'm in a prognosticating mood, I might as well go for the whole enchilada:

March 13th - State Semi-Finals: Malvern defeats Canal Winchester
New Knoxville defeats Defiance Ayersville

March 15th- State Finals; In a dream match-up of #1 vs #2, both undefeated, Malvern downs New Knoxville to wrap up the first state title in school history with a perfect season of 28-0.

So it is written, so it shall be done.

Note: The team returns home to a triumphant parade through the town square where we are again reminded that the basketball team outnumbers the marching band.

Glory Days