Land Yacht Safari Blog

Waiting on New Laptop....

December 29, 2009....Tuesday.....we have been out of the loop.....our laptop LED and inverter died and we are waiting for shipment of replacement....due to us on January 4, 2010....hold on....we will return....xoxoxox....at our public library today online....

Jedi.....Knight of The Force......

December 14, 2009....Monday....Karin has her new baby....Jackson has a new brother.....The Force has another Jedi Knight......this little English Cream Golden, Jedi, is precious.....he had to leave his first adoptive home placement due to a serious medical diagnosis of his single Mother...right after she adopted him.....he is 12 weeks old..... .....Karin loves this photo of the boys....this is the first few minutes after Jedi arrived....Jedi was named by the little boy in his original adoptive home....he is a Star Wars fan, of course.... ......big brother, Jackson, is doing very well with the new baby....only a little jealous, at times....I am getting lots of puppy sugar and kisses from the grown dogs too.....Jackson, Tank and Hannah.....

.......this is one precious baby...... ......look at those leg bones....Jedi will be a massive boy....May The Force be with him, his new Mom and his patient brother, Jackson and his Aunt Terrie, Uncle Ray, Hannah, Tank and Tank's Dad, Dee...and with all of you too.....Jedi, Knight of The Force.....Welcome Home......xoxoxoxoxo

Karin, Jackson and Dana.....Part of the Pack....

December 11, 2009.....Friday..... ......the weather has been really great here.....lots of people around town have Let It Snow signs in their yards....I don't think it is going to happen....every morning Karin and I take advantage of this incredible place where we live....she has been taking Dana, the Great Dane, with us...Dana's Mother is pregnant and it is too risky for her to be out walking with Dana....so Karin takes her to walk....Dana has quickly become part of the pack... ......this is a massive responsibility....but Karin loves it....Jackson and Hannah love Dana....Karin and I love Dana....Dana is very intelligent and also has a mind of her own.... ......and today.....a new member is scheduled to join this pack....Jedi....more on him later......

All Over The Place.....

December 9, Wednesday....geez....I don't know where the time goes or what we do with all of our time...I often feel like I am wasting it....and about Excess....the last post....I have gained 10 pounds over the last four years...while leading a somewhat hedonistic lifestyle of a person who walked away from a work your fingers to the bone career.....so....red red wine....is off my diet for a while...as well as chips, bread, cookies....draft beer....pizza.....and red red wine....tomorrow morning I am going to take some shots of Karin and I walking Hannah, Jackson (one of Hannah's wombmates)
and Dana, the neighborhood Great Dane....Great Dame is what she is....we are walking every morning for an hour.....it has not helped one little bit yet....but it has worked before...it will work again....this first photo is of me, Hannah and Jackson playing in the water the other day....what a gorgeous place this is...... ........Karin and Jackson were able to go with us to swim and play...usually, Karin is chained to her desk...... .......water babies....they love it.....and then to the other end of the county....Ray went out to Gamble Plantation to meet up with some musicians who were new to him....they play strictly old time music and Ray was the only guitarist...he learned some things and they allowed him to share several of his songs....I don't have a great appreciation for old time music so I left Ray out there and went to shop.....I hate to shop...especially when I don't know what I am shopping for....but I did manage to get a Christmas present for my Mother and it is in the mail now..... .......these musicians are very serious about only playing old time music.... .....and I am sitting here...sucking on a peppermint...feeling all over the place and wondering about these resolutions I have made either late or early...depending on how you see it....I need some cheerleaders...sound off.....

Excess.....

December 2, 2009....Wednesday.....yes, we have finished the leftovers from Thanksgiving....I am going to try to think of a better way to manage Thanksgiving....I have tried before and it didn't work....lobster lasagna was one of my tries to escape the traditional excess of too much turkey and everything....it was an Emeril recipe....but it was tasteless...after all those expensive ingredients and time invested....I don't know....I am still one of those bahumbuggers....I do not like holidays...give me a regular day any day....but don't look....our Christmas tree is up...the wreath is on the door and the garland on the fireplace....but that is because it is practical....not practical to put it all together for just a day or two....plus I do like to have the Christmas lights on at night and early in the morning when just Hannah and I and the cats are awake.....nice to savor the lights with fresh coffee and Hannah snuggled to my side on the sofa...... .....but Thanksgiving was done and done to excess.....the best part were our friends and son....Woody, Dee, Robin and J...... ....some would say desserts were best.....some the music....some sitting around the firepit visiting with Tracie, Dee, Scotty and his son, Aiden.... ....and I almost left out...the little girl in the pink sweater, Lily....7 month old chihuahua that is Tracie's baby..... ........it was a little chilly so a fire was nice.....we are thankful to have great friends and a wonderful son and his friends to share these times...... ......several nights later we were able to catch up with two more friends, Nan and Karin.....they had other places to be on Thanksgiving Day....you see we are having a salad.....reining in the excess....slowly.....

On the Boat Again......Safe Passages.....

November 27, 2009.....Friday.....before Captains J and Robin sailed Passages for their maiden voyage, Buddy had a day to begin learning sea dogging while they were docked..... ......Buddy was not on board for the maiden voyage but he did well his first day at sea dog class...... ......Buddy wants nothing more than to be with the Captains as their Sea Dog........Captains J and Robin ready to get underway.....Passages ready to set sail....coming home to the new slip, in the colorful fishing village of Cortez..........after a three day sail, Passages tucked in at her new scenic slip...... .......and it doesn't get much better than this.... ......exhausted but happy....a champagne toast for the Captains and sea dog, Buddy.....Cheers....On
the boat again!!!!

Music Camp.......

November 23, 2009.....Monday......well, Ray has found what he wants to do when he grows up....parking lot picking....I had already predicted the best thing about Music Camp would not be the flat picking and finger picking and old time banjo lessons....it would be sitting around with the kindred spirits and sharing music....I was right.... ......so two tents were put up next to our Airstream....here is Valinda playing her fiddle....Valinda and Jay are called Starbird.......I don't see a website on their CD Sandy Shoes and other Florida Love Songs.... ......Jay is there between the umbrellas..... .....this is Steve....all of them fantastic songwriters and singers...I am sorry I missed this...but the roof was in process..... .....Carl and Barbara....Barbara plays concertina....a little music squeeze box....Ray has always been fascinated by them.... ......Jesse Sam, a true southern gentleman,according to Ray.....and Jubal's Kin....
the young lady playing fiddle is 15.........it does make you wish you had started earlier.......I just didn't know about this earlier...so I guess you do what you do when it is time for you to do it.... .......and Ray still says, "It's all Good"....this was for him....but as for me.....I don't believe it is all good.....this was the Best for Ray...and the roof is on.....yippee for Music Camp.....may it live on and on.....

A Roof Over Our Heads......

November 17, 2009........Tuesday.....ahhhhhhhh....peace....quiet......the new roof is on.....the noise has stopped...... ......it took most of four days of constant work with an 8 man to a 4 man crew to get the old roof off and the new one on to code..... ......you can see the gorgeous old wood roof being exposed here....that wood has been there since 1924, on our little bungalow..... .........some wood had to be replaced....not much for the years it has been there...... ........ .......this was a real project....these guys worked constantly except for their lunch break...... ...... major excitement when the big flatbed truck turned on our street and stopped with a delivery of some of the roofing materials....major problem.....someone visiting our neighbor to our north left their car parked on the street...it totally blocked the delivery truck's access to our property....to SAVE THE DAY....And Just In Time...Robin was home for lunch...had the phone number for our new neighbor who moved in while we were in Maine...Robin called Christina and located the car's owner....the car in the way was moved and our supplies were delivered....had Robin not saved the day, our materials would have driven off and it would have taken another day to complete the job....thank you, dear Robin...... ........then the foundation for the new shingles.......... .........most of this was done while Ray was away at Music Camp......so our neighbor, J, kept a watch from his house and called me to say the "facia board isn't wide enough....they have to do that one over"........and I gave them the word and they changed it.....thanks, J....... .............good to have it completed and have a roof over our heads....and Ray safely returned from Music Camp with some more songs from Florida Folk people.... ........and that is another post.......

Rare and Unique VW Gathering......

November 12, 2009.....Thursday.....I wish I could record and publish the rolling thunder coming from the roof top today....Hannah and Tank and Katie are all huddled around me....Chi Chi has found a hiding place somewhere......Tank just tried to crawl into my lap.....the roofers have arrived.....there are eight of them up there shoveling off the old shingles and the double layer of felt underneath the shingles....this is the first roofing I have experienced....it is like being in a severe thunderstorm that rocks the foundation with constant thunder claps.....so I am going to see if I can focus on a post.....the other night, our son, Dee, attended an annual gathering of Volkswagen groupies and collectors....this event has happened annually here for about 10 years....now people from all over the world come and magazines like Hot VW and other magazines send journalists to cover it....pretty exciting....Dee takes his restored Karmann Ghia every year.......VW's are one of our favorites...especially the vintage ones...... .....I am not going to be able to tell you the year of these few I will post to the blog....Dee could, if he were over here....I believe this is called a split window bus......probably from the 60's, I would guess....a true beauty...... ........and another one........ .......classic beauty........ .........rare square back hoping for a restoration.....I don't like the little shield at the top but I have always liked the station wagon model..... ........a rare camper from the 60's probably...... .....I have always loved these too...I think this is a utility truck....I am going to go to a vintage VW site after this is published and see if I can find out the true names for these models...... ......some of Dee's VW friends...... .....and the pearl 1967 Karmann Ghia is Dee's....we bought it for $900 when Dee was 16 years old, from the original owner......the interior and body have been restored....it is now priceless......so is this guy...priceless.....rare and unique......

Sweet Baby Austen.....Play Date......

November 5, 2009.....Thursday....what a play date.....I met Megan and our friend, Kate, over at Megan's daughter's home the other day....it was Megan's turn to babysit granddaughter, Austen....she is close to four months old now....this is the first time Kate has met Austen....me too...Austen was born while we were in Maine.....what total fun...part of that is because Austen is such a good baby.....she did not cry any the three hours I was there.....she is a happy girl and she doesn't have to go to day care....what a plus especially with H1N1 all over the place....some days her Dad cares for her, at home and the other days, her maternal grandmother....the paternal grandmother may fit in there too....what a nice set up for the adults and Austen...... ......I really did not catch any good photos of such a lovely subject....Austen is the one in the pink socks..... .....before Austen was born, her Mother painted a beach themed mural on all the walls in her bedroom......she did a great job..... .....the big girls had a salad together and Austen had a nap....Welcome Home, Austen....you lucky little thing.....surrounded by love.....ok, now....which one would be your choice? my choice was the one in the middle.....
......but I would like to know which color would you pick for the new roof.....Birchwood on the left or Slate on the right? the house is light gray with a medium gray trim.....that is the next decision....the new air conditioner and heat system is installed....hoping for many years of service and tax credits.... tax credit and insurance discounts for the new roof...yippee.....

Ray and I are learning three of the songs we brought home from Maine...two from Jim and one from a Captain of one of the schooners there (JR).....almost as much fun as a play date with Austen or my granddog, Tank (asleep on the floor by my Hannah)......