Things You Won't See in Maine (TYWSIM) Vol. 1 Article 1

This is the beginning of an ongoing post that will show you exactly what the title indicates, things that we see in FL that you won't see in Maine.  This will probably be mostly flora and fauna (plants and animals) but could cover just about anything that I find interesting or weird.

First up, in the flora department...

Yes, I know that you see poinsettias in Maine, but you won't see them planted in the ground like any other outdoor plant, at least not surviving for very long.  As we all know, they don't handle the cold very well, so these may be gone after the cold spell due over the next couple of nights.  We have seen them in planter boxes as well.

Here's another thing you won't see in Maine...

These very cool birds walk along the roads, eating bugs and other delectable items.  If I had my bird book (which is safe and secure in my condo, where I am not) I could find out quickly what they are called.  I will find out, but I'll have to fill you in on a later post.   I know, you are thinking to yourself, "I see birds eating along the roads all the time".  Crows don't count!

Well, that's all for the first article, stay tuned for more useless pictures and information from the sunny south.  PS.  you can click on any photo and enlarge it.

Thanks for stopping by...
;o)

A Slow Day

It was a quiet day today in Southwest FL.  As usual, we took the dog for a walk.  From there we packed him in the back of the car where he promptly fell asleep while we drove south to Ft. Myers.  Mr. Bill's sister gave him a certificate for Omaha Steaks at Christmas and there is a store in FM.  (I didn't even know they had stores, I thought it was all mail order.)  They were having a 50% off sale so we got a lot of good stuff for not quite as much money.  Mr. Bill decided on salmon fillets, filet mignon and sirloin strip steaks.  We have to wait till tomorrow to enjoy one of these tasty looking entrees because frozen chicken was slowly unfreezing on the kitchen counter.

We gave Sir Titan a shower tonight in the "beautiful" bathroom.  It's great because you walk right in, no sides to step over, and the shower can be hand held.

Is this a great looking bathroom, or what?  Anyway, Sir Titan was not all that excited about the whole procedure but between Mr. Bill and I, we got 'er done.  As a rule, the dog is not excited about the first time for anything so I figure, next time it will be easier.  Right?  He didn't even make a big mess when he shook himself off, thanks to a terrific job of towel drying him first by Mr. Bill. 

These were "under construction" last year but have been completed.  I think they are pretty cute, what do you think?

They are murals painted on the bathroom doors at Laishley Park.


Thanks for stopping by...
;o)

That's Not How We Left It ;o(

Last year we were in the habit of getting our coffee at a little shop in the Fishermen's Villages called "The Ornery Attitude" (O.A.).  From there we would wander outside and sit on a swing, overlooking Charlotte Harbor and the Peace River.  Many nights we sat there sipping our coffee, enjoying a biscotti and watching the sun set as we heard the signal for the boat leaving the harbor, taking passengers on the sunset cruise.  You can read more about this favorite spot of ours here.

This is what we found when we stopped today...

The supports are still there but...THERE'S NO SWING!  We asked Dave, the O.A. owner about it.  Apparently, we are the only ones missing it because he had no idea it had disappeared and no one else had asked about it.  However, he is going to check with the maintenance person and see if he can get some answers.  We were very disappointed.

We went to our preferred farmer's market today, along with most of Punta Gorda and the surrounding area.  Where did all of these people come from?  It was never this busy last year.  We bought some crab filled homemade ravioli, which we had for dinner along with vodka sauce and they were fabulous!  I forgot to get the name of the vendor but we'll get it next week and find out where the business is located.

We also came across a new vendor displaying some of the cutest little dresses I have ever seen.  I commented to Mr. Bill about one that I thought would look especially cute on my granddaughter, Ella.  However, when I looked at the back, there wasn't anything there, other than a little strap, which I found odd.  Luckily, it only took a split second (okay, maybe a couple of seconds) to figure out that it was designed for a dog, not a child.  duh  This little booth belonged to Koolnani's, owned and operated by a very pleasant woman by the name of Theresa Diaz.  I did ask if I could take a couple of photos for my blog and told her about one of the volunteers at the shelter, Beth H., who designs outfits for the shelter dogs.  She explained that she owns a couple of Yorkies and started designing outfits for them, then others asked her to make some and next thing, she was in business.

This is only a small section of her display but gives you an idea of how cute these outfits are.  Mr. Bill spotted the next one, which makes us think of Wendy Bee...

How freakin' cute is that?  She also had collars, bandannas, small animal beds and other animal items, along with some very cute aprons for people.  There may have been other people items but her space was getting busy so I didn't get photos of everything; there was a lot more to see.  She doesn't have a website but her card says "Kustom Apparel For people & their pets".  If you see something you like or want to get in touch with her regarding something for your special furry friend or yourself, you can email her at - koolnani@centurylink.net.  I did place an order but it's a surprise, so I can't tell you about it.

It was a very nice day here, 72*, mostly sunny and windy.  We had a great walk along the river but came back a different way, just for a change of scenery and because we can. 

Titan is a little out of sorts today; hope he's back to his usual self tomorrow.

Thanks for stopping by...
;o)

Christmas is over!

I know the Christmas season is over when I finish the last of the Christmas Cherry Cake.

I actually ate it yesterday for breakfast but forgot to post it.  People ask if it's a fruit cake.  "NO" I reply, it's a Christmas Cake.  Even though it has some of the same ingredients as a fruit cake, it doesn't have any molasses, so it's lighter than a fruit cake. Technically, I suppose it's a fruit cake but I like it a lot better.  I make it every year, eat almost the entire thing by myself and I'm always a little sad when it's gone.

Thanks for stopping by...
;o)

Walk the Walk

Last year we got into the habit of walking along the Peace River every day.  We would start at the Fishermen's Villages, walk along the river through Gilchrist Park, under the highway, through Laishley Park to one of the small fishing piers and back.  Laishley Park was completely rebuilt after the hurricane in 2004. This year, however, because Gilchrist Park does not allow dogs, we park in the Best Western lot and leave from there, walking to the farthest little pier and back.  This takes us a couple of hours.  Of course, we all have to make a potty stop, or 3 or 4 (for the dog) rest a little at the pier, sit in the sun for a minute or two, get a drink from the water fountain (which precipitates more potty stops) and finally return to the car.

This serves two purposes...Mr. Bill and I get some good exercise, which burns calories, which creates some weight loss. It would if we didn't come home and snack on M&M's and potato chips :o( Sir Titan gets some good exercise, which makes him very tired and laid back.  Consequently, he spends most of the rest of the day like this...

 We are all happy when Sir Titan is tired.  He did play with his rubber duck in the yard for awhile this afternoon, which adds to his relaxed state.

He are a few photos of our walk...

 On the left is the bridge between Pt. Charlotte and Punta Gorda (Rt. 41, Tamiami Trail)

 Boardwalks make up a couple of the sections of the walk.  The condos were built after Hurricane Charlie.

I see this handsome man walking his exceptionally well behaved dog everywhere I go.  I think he is stalking me.

A quiet moment in the sun.  (You can't really blame the handsome man, can you?)

We use these decorative posts to work on Sir Titan's heeling by weaving in and out so that he has to follow us and actually think about where he is going.

As you can see, it's a really nice place for a walk!

Tomorrow is another farmer's market (our favorite) and the first CRAFT FAIR!  Woo Hoo.  I won't buy anything but it's fun to look.

Thanks for stopping by... (don't forget to feed the fish)
;o)

Trials and Tribulations of Traveling with Titan

HA!  This title came to me before we even left Maine for our trip south to Florida for the winter.  I had no idea how our not yet 1 1/2 year old pit bull would travel but I was anxious that he wouldn't get enough exercise and would be bouncing off the walls (and windows, and headliner and everything else inside the car).  I have never traveled with a dog before and just didn't have a good vibe.

Anyway, Mr. Bill did manage to get everything packed away (although he says next year we need to rent a trailer or buy one of those cute little boxes that ride on top of the car.  I think he is exaggerating).  We bought a gate to fit behind the passenger seats so that all of our stuff didn't topple over on top of our dog if we stopped short.  Titan had the best seat in the house comprised of a new doggie bed (memory foam for crying out loud) under his small bath mat that we use for him to stay when company comes, under his regular doggie bed, along with his two blankets from home.  I mean really, how could he not be comfortable???

Well, not to worry, he traveled like a seasoned pro.  Once the car got up to speed, he curled into a ball, let out a big sigh and slept until we slowed down or stopped.  (I have a great photo but don't know how to get it off my phone).  If we just slowed down, he perked up his head and looked around as if to ask "what's up? what's going on? why are we going so slow?"  If we actually stopped, he stretched long and hard, put his face between us to see where we were and gave us a look that said "are we there yet". 

When we did get out, he promptly went to the bathroom and was quite content to walk around a little, sniff a lot and climb back into the car.  I use the term "climb" loosely because he didn't ever climb back in.  Mr. Bill had to lift him up and place him back into the car.  It wasn't that he didn't want to get back in, he just didn't want to jump in.  I think he was afraid he didn't have enough room.

The only issue while driving was the first day when our 10 hour trip lasted 15 hours!  Oh My God!!! The New Jersey toll was backed up for 10 miles.  Thankfully, we had stopped at a rest area just before hitting traffic that was barely moving.  It took us 2 hours to get through the tolls.  The two lane highway spreads out into about 8 toll lanes (picture the York tolls) then back into 2 lanes.  On top of that, another highway enters at the tolls and one of the two lanes on the other side of the tolls was closed due to an accident.  Did I say...Oh My God?   I think we sat in bumper to bumper traffic on the other side of the tolls for more than an hour, everyone jockeying for position (including tractor trailers, motor homes, trucks towing campers and every other type of moving conveyance you can imagine).  That is precisely the time Sir Titan started whining to go to the bathroom.  "Not Now!  You should have gone back at the rest stop!  You're going to have to wait.  Now, be a good dog and go to sleep."  Bill was stressed, I was a little pissy and the dog wanted out.  It was not pretty, but he did lie down and go to sleep, waking later when we stopped at a rest stop.  What a good dog!  I, however, remained pissy (so unlike me). ;o)

Our first night in the motel was great with a ground floor room.  Sir Titan slept in the chair that we covered with one of his blankets, thinking this was pretty cool since he doesn't get to be in the chairs at home.  He was kind of liking this traveling thing.  Unfortunately, the chair was located next to the window and he barked every time anyone (or anything) passed by the window.  Okay, lesson learned, place chair away from window.

The next night we were on the second floor, not as convenient but very roomy.  No worries about anyone walking by the window.  Problem solved!  Ha, Not!  Although the chair was located across the room and I turned it around so that he would be facing us, Sir Titan felt it was his assigned duty to warn us (woof, woof, BARK) of impending personal danger every time a shadow passed under the door.  I don't know what everyone is doing up and about at all hours of the night, but believe me, they are out there. Mr. Bill placed something at the foot of the door so that he would not see the shadows, or so we thought. We even did the unthinkable and dragged one of his blankets onto the bed so that he could lie with us.  He does not take his responsibilities lightly, that's for sure.  We got a very early start the next day!

There are NO complaints about traveling with Sir Titan, he is a superb traveler (some might say, better than me) and it was a pleasure.

Thanks for stopping by...
;o)

Volume 2...A quick catch-me-up

I know, it's been a long time.  But, in my defense, I've been busy.  Here's a quick update for the last few months...


May...hired as the part time (20/hr week) volunteer coordinator at the Animal Welfare Society in W. Kennebunk, Maine
June...adopted a dog after he came to stay with us for the "weekend"
August...spent a very rainy week at camp in Brownfield, Maine.  Wendy got engaged.
September...spent a week in Bar Harbor, hiking & biking in Acadia National Park


Through the course of the summer we fostered 22 animals including one dog and six puppies and 2 cats and 13 kittens.


Here are a few things I didn't do...exercise, go to the beach, hike or bike (except in Acadia.)  Working for the AWS has provided me with a job that was made for me, some wonderful new friends ("hi" Gail, "hi" Lori) and as my daughter calls it... an "insanely busy for being retired schedule".  That would be the main reason for things I didn't do this summer, but I'm not complaining.


I'm sure there is tons more to report but as they say..."leave them wanting more".  You do want more, right?  Stay tuned, more is coming up next.


Thanks for stopping by.
;o)