Lost in a SWAMP

A friend (Kurt) and I went Geocaching yesterday in a beautiful park here in Virginia.
Seashore State Park.

We found 8 or so caches back in the woods and all over the park - it was a perfect day.

Well, rather than go BACK to the parking area to begin a particular search (which is what the instructions told us to do) we started trecking in the park FROM one of the other caches.

We got deeper and deeper into the forest/swamp area and couldn't actually GET to the cache we were searching for because we were blocked by the swamp at every turn.
We walk on and on and things only got worse - and the sun was setting soon!

We decided to attempt to get back to a nearby road (we could hear the cars going by off in the distance)... but were blocked by swamp in that direction too.
Luckily we had our GPS units and followed the 'track-back' feature to get most of the way back - but found a fallen tree which we used as a bridge to make the final crossing to higher ground!

It was fun and we didn't even have to get our shoes wet - but it was certainly a better option than spending the night in the woods.

Ain't Geocahing fun?!
Check it out for yourself at www.geocaching.com!

Road Apples

Can't forget one of the most memorable times of my Christmas trip to Laurel Maryland Race Track.
I GOT TO SHOVEL HORSE SH*T!!!

You ever pee like a race-horse?
Well - try crapping like one sometime... I swear these race horses are all muscle so when they let the apples roll - they shoot out like bullets!

I had the wonderful opportunity to shovel a GIANT wheel barrel full of it and dump it in what all the stable hands call the SH*T SHED.

Piles and piles and piles of it. It was a veritable walk in crap house!
Fun was had by all!

Merry Christmas!!!

What a great Christmas!
I was invited to spend the Holiday in Maryland with a friend.
We spent Christmas Day at a nearby homeless shelter.
We cooked and served an amazingly HUGE Christmas meal for all who showed up.
Some of the guys that came over LIVED under a nearby BRIDGE!

It was a real eye-opener!
We are sooooo blessed and don't even live like it most of the time.

I also had the oportunity to go to the Laurel Racetrack - at 4AM.
We fed and watered the incredible race horses that my friend Lisa is in charge of.
They also need to be walked/galloped every single day so their muscles stay 'tuned'.
There were huge and solid - pent up energy like you wouldn't believe!

Anyway, here is a picture of my friend Lisa with one of the horses.

A Garage with room for a CAR?!

I know women wouldn't understand - It's a guy thing.
I actually pulled my car INTO my garage to change the oil!
It was great.
I haven't been able to do that for 10 years!
We typically cram our garages so full of STUFF that nothing else fits - let alone a CAR!
So there I was - IN THE GARAGE - changing the oil.

Goodness it felt great!
If all goes well - I will be disciplined and KEEP the garage that way!
We'll see!

Goodies

I never expected a small package on my porch this morning.
I never expected to cry when I opened it either.

The package was from my aunt and uncle in Louisiana.
They know all I am going thru with my divorce and they must also know how tough it is during the Holidays.
When I opened the box and saw all the goodies cooked for me, I was overcome with a deep sense of love and care.
These feelings are far in between and it just hit me.
So there I was holding a little box of home-made cookies, brownies, cupcakes, and ginger bread... crying.
It was a good kind of cry and I really felt loved.
Thank you soooooooo very much Dianne and Ken.
You are wonderful.
Mike
I love you.
You don't even know how much this helped.

Wheelchairs

I was returning to work from running errands at lunch and walked up behind a guy in a wheelchair.
He got to the front entrance door just before I did. With only slight difficulty, he opened the door for ME to go thru.

My brain suggested to my mouth to say "Oh no.. let me get it for you." But my heart quickly intervened and told my brain and my mouth to shut up and just let the guy open the door.

I mean, he probably gets only a few chances each year to do that - so I let him.
Not out of pity or some stupid self-righteous attitude... but simply respect.. just as I would for anyone else.

I said "Thank you very much." and walked on thru.
I caught the next door for him.

It all works out in the end.

Sometimes we just need to let people be people.

Joy to the World

Where do we find our Joy?
What does it take to bring us Joy?
Just what is contentment?

A friend of mine works in an orphanage in Russia.
It's cold there right now - very cold.
As Christmas draws neigh, He witnessed something pretty cool and I share it here:

He was watching a little boy pull a beaten-up empty box on a piece of twine behind him. For a second, he thought "how sad", but then he saw the true JOY on the boy's face as he ran and pulled that box bumping behind him. He said it was an incredible sight.

Some enjoy the beautiful wrapped packages, some the thoughtful gift inside, some the cardboard box.

Just attach a short piece of twine and pull.

Tacos

I cooked WAY too much last night.
I came home, made a quick decision of what to have for dinner and started cookin'.
TACOS!
One of my most favorite meals.
Well, I started frying the hamburger meat, tossed in the special seasonings.
Got the Refried Beans crankin'.
Put the Spanish Rice on to boil.
Cut up my misc - Cheese, Lettuce, Onions.
Got Guacamole.
Salsa.
And pulled out the shells...

I was so busy having fun cooking - I cooked nearly double what I could possibly eat.
I got on the phone with my sister and invited here over (she couldn't make it since she lives in Idaho), but it was a kind gesture.

I drank a cold beer and watched some DEAL/NO DEAL and enjoyed eating HALF of my meal.
Fun was had by all.
I need to fiture out how to cook for ONE!
:)

Christmas Lights

Well.. most of my lights are up.
I got up on a ladder last night and hung lights all across the front of the house including around the porch.
I underestimated how far the 'icicle' light strings would go and didn't have enough to finish the dormers (I'll do that tomorrow).

The wind started howling so I got off the roof before I fell off.
:)
I'm simply having a wonderful Christmast time!

Dinner is Served

I did it.
I cooked my first dinner in my new home.
Eating out and even a quick meal is NOTHING like pulling a Rachel Rea 30-minute meal!
I timed myself and did it exactly in 30 minutes - it was great.

The picture may be a little blurry, but what you are seeing is:

Lemon Spice Chicken
Sauteed Green Beans in Garlic and Butter
Onion Bun
Garden Salad with fresh chopped Scallions
Bass Ale

What a great dinner.

Tapas Style

There are more and more of these "Tapas-Style" restaurants cropping up - it's the newest craze in the downtown night bar/bistro scenes.

If you never have been - the basics is this: small individual portions of a meal - served (an paid for) separately. Eat your bread, them perhaps a vegetable, or maybe you jump straight to a meat dish - or better yet - sushi. Each plate is decorated (garnished) as if it where all you were going to eat.

Pretty fun - Oh, and there is usually a better beer selection than normal restaurants. Dark Imports are my particular poison.

All that to say this.. Kurt, Wanda and I had a great dinner at Empire Little Bar Bistro in Norfolk VA last night. Kurt paid and said "Merry Christmas". We owe him one!

Thanks Kurt.

Frosty Day

Got up this morining, had my espresso and looked out the window..

FROST

I even had to scrape my car windows!

Virginia is usually nice and warm even on Christmas. But it looks like winter is trying its best to arrive here on the East coast. One year it was 74 on Christmas Day! So you never know what is going to happen from year to year.

Cold has 2 settings (according to me):
GIRL COLD and BOY COLD
Whenever someone says "Dude, it's cold outside."
I alsways ask... "Boy cold or Girl cold?"
And then I just wait for their answer...

I love it.

First Night

Well... I spent my first night in my own home.
This was the first time I've ever spent a night in my own home that only I owned.
I had never purchased a place of my own before I went into the Navy - and got married from there. So now that I am divorced, (you see where this is going) I spent my first night in my own home.. alone.

IT STINKS!

Yet.. There are levels to stink you know:
(being alone stinks - starting over from scratch only stinks half way - uncertainty is fairly neutral smelling, but looking ahead to new adventures smells pretty good.)

My sister reminded me of a great song by Rufus Wainwright - "One Man Guy". I'm a one man guy - and that guy is ME.

I told her (my sister) about an incredible woman I recently met - and my sister suggested I play Rufus' other song - "Hallelujah"!

Sisters are great - they know just how to lift you up when you are down.

First Christmas Alone

Going thru a divorce really stinks.
This one is one of the worst I have ever seen in my entire life.
My wife is turning my kids against me one at a time. :(
It's been 10 months now and it's clear it's over.

But, somehow I need to pull thru and get moving.. sooo...

I decided to stop living at my friend house and BUY MY OWN.
It's not my dream house by an stretch - but it's mine, or will be this Thursday.

I haven't got any furniture so moving will be EASY!
Wait, no.. a friend gave me a couch. So I will have a place to sit down.
I will need to shop for a bed and some other neccessities!

What will help?
I think decorating for Christmas will.
I am going to go shopping for some 'icicle' lights this week.
I picked up a Christmas Album - Sarah McLauchlan at Starbucks.
And perhaps a Christmas tree will help too. We'll see.

:)

HD to NYC

What a ride!
Some silly storm was terrorizing the southern states and it hit Norfolk on Friday.
We waited patiently since neither of us wanted to ride in the pouring rain unless we had to.
Kurt F and I headed down the road early the next morning (2 Sept) and had no idea what lay in wait for us – a slow moving storm… and we were riding 70mph toward it.

A gorgeous day.
We rode across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge/Tunnel and north across Virginia and Maryland. The Cape May-Lewes Ferry was a 3.5 hour wait so we rode on.
Delaware and New Jersey were fine until we caught up to the storm.

First the rain was light, but soon we were in torrential downpour and high side winds that were blowing us around. We made several unintentional lane changes. The rain was hitting my face so hard it actually hurt, so I periodically shielded my face with my left hand while holding the throttle with my right.
I also had to often reach up and empty my glasses as they kept filling with rainwater and getting into my eyes.
It was tough to see Kurt ahead sometimes as we rode on – and I couldn’t afford to get behind, because he knew the route we were taking and I didn’t!

We rolled into his in-laws driveway just as night was falling.

All I could think of was our 3 immediate needs.. which I told Kurt and Family while standing in the rainy driveway:
A Hot Shower
A Warm Woman and
A Cold Drink

His mother-in-law said she could find us 2 of the 3 and I was hoping her water heater was broken!!!

After a hot shower and a couple cold drinks, we all stayed up late playing cards by candle light since the storm took out the house power.

The next day was beautiful.
Kurt and I ran 4 miles or so (I was totally out of shape) and then we rode our Harleys to Yankee Stadium where we saw an incredible win by the Yankees 10-1.
Monday we rode home in perfect weather and finished the best motorcycle trip I’ve ever been on.

I hope there will be many more in the future.

The Life Cycle

I think the life cycle is all backwards.

You should start out dead and get it out of the way.

Then, you wake up in an old age home feeling better every day.

You get kicked out for being too healthy; go collect your pension, then
when you start work, you get a gold watch on your first day.

You work 40 years until you're young enough to enjoy your retirement.

You drink alcohol, you party, you're generally promiscuous and you get
ready for High School.

You go to primary school, you become a kid , you play, you have no responsibilities, you become a baby, and then...

You spend your last 9 months floating peacefully in luxury, in spa-like conditions; central heating, room service on tap, larger quarters everyday, and then...
..you finish off as an orgasm.

I rest my case.

Caffeine Anyone

I found someone that loves coffee as much as I do!

Confusion Says:

I used to say:

That that does not kill you,
Makes you stronger.

But have decided upon the following as a reasonable alternative:

That that does not kill you,
Hurts like hell... but, it doesn't kill you.

French Vanilla and Chocolate Syrup

I couldn’t help myself.
I purchased a quart of French Vanilla ice-cream and some chocolate syrup. I scooped 4 gigantic spoonfuls of ice-cream into a bowl and just COVERED it with syrup.
It was sooooo good.. but I just know I totally cancelled the 5 miles I did this morning!!!
Dang

Poison Ivy

I have never been susceptible to poison ivy before in my life.

A couple weeks ago, I caught the absolute worst case you can imagine – well I take that back since some people have died from it – it was just the worst case I could imagine: up and down my legs, on my back and chest, arms – none on my face or head Praise God… I have been very careful NEVER to scratch an itch or touch my head in any way… it has been really tough.

My guess is that the stress I am going thru has broken down my immune system.

I used to be able to walk in it, sit in it, play in it.

Once my sister and I were feeding handfuls of green leaves to pigs in a pen.. my sister caught poison ivy worse than she has ever had, I didn’t get it at all.. and we don’t know what happened to the pigs.
:)

Geocaching has it’s issues – poison ivy is the one that effect me the most.

Atlantic Ocean - Virginia Beach Oceanfront

I’ve spent quite a bit of time at the beach lately.

Mostly to let the ocean’s natural salts soothe my poison ivy.. but also to play in the waves. I’ve made some very fun sand castles and have been perfecting my body surfing.

The beach is a wonderful place, I just wish my skin tanned better than it does – I always have to swim in lotion before going out. Actually I have been playing for about an hour and then putting on the lotion – just to get some color.
:)

Motorcycle in the Rain

This time of year short bursts of torrential downpour come without warning.
I was out riding my Harley the other day and got caught in some cats-n-dogs.
Raindrops the size of grapes were pelting me and luckily I wasn’t going fast. I have found that above 40 miles per hour these sting pretty hard. The rain soaked my shirt, pants, underwear, everything. The rain was running down my legs and into my boots.. by the time I got where I was going, my boots were completely FULL of water. I sat down and poured the water out and rung out my shirt before going inside.

It was quite an adventure.

This may sound weird, but I liked it.. being totally soaked and free. It seems that unpredictable things like this don’t happen often enough, and I welcomed it.

Great Card

My sister sent me a great card the other day.

FRONT: When life hands you lemons, make lemonade.
INSIDE: But when life hands you a load of crap, don’t make anything. Trust me on this one.

I laughed out loud and put it right on my desk.
What a great sister.
:)

Boat Work - Blue Water Ahead

I helped a friend work on his boat this past weekend.
We fired up the motor and scrubbed all the decks and surfaces.
It was fun and got me wanting to get MY sailboat up and running again.
It’s been 4 years since my boat has seen water – I think it is sad just sitting on the trailer. I have just spent ALL my time playing with the kids and getting a new business up and running... I neglected the poor boat!

Yet, working on the boat was very rejuvenating. Somehow, somewhere deep inside, I got some energy.. a little wave of hope.

Finally Got some Tail

It's been 9 months and I finally got some tail.

I was riding my motorcycle along the Colonial Parkway.
This is one of the best places to ride your bike in Virginia; tree covered road, along a river, cars few and far between. A must.

Anyway, I was riding along and I passes a racoon - roadkill.
I quickly pulled over and walked back.. with my trusty Buck knife, I cut off the tail.
I was hoping to tie it to the back of my Harley so it could flap in the wind as I rode.. but after I went on the internet to research what it actually takes to make the tail 'usable'.. I perished the thought.

The taxidermist website said I had to: split it full length with a knife, remove the tail bone and all meat, salt the hide for 3 days (scraping and reapplying salt each day) and then soak it in Borax so the bugs wouldn't eat it. And it would be stiff, unless I took it one more step and actually TANNED it with some chemicals.

NOT GUNNA HAPPEN... They only cost $3.50 on Ebay.

Geo-Caching

Discovered a brand new (to me) hobby.
Geo-caching.
You may have heard about it before, but until you have done it.. you can't knock it.

Basically, it's a treasure hunt for small hidden treasure all over the planet.
Most of these little hidden locations are in the USA, and increasing in number daily.

Individuals have placed hidden 'caches' in wooded areas, on cliff sides, along rivers, under water, and even on busy streets in urban areas.
To find them, you must go to www.geocaching.com and type in your zip code (one of the ways to find them).
You will then see a list of all the caches near you.
Cutting and pasting these coordinates into Google Earth gives me a quick aerial view of the site.
Then I simply input the coordinates into my GPS unit ($150 at BestBuy), which guides me to within a few feet of the hidden cache.
From here you must be a sleuth.. think like the guy that hid it and you shall find it.
Signing the Log Book is always a task, and if the cache is large enough to contain small treasures (misc items that look like they came from the dollar store), you TAKE one and then LEAVE one (yep, gotta bring something with you).
Making sure no one is watching, you must RE-HIDE the cache and split.

It's a gas.. and good ol' outdoor fun.

Lost Sunglasses

Dangit.
I lost my sunglasses.
I took them off on the airplane and set them on the seat next to me.. so I wouldn't forget them.
Then like 'pavlovs travelers'.. when the little bell when 'ding' every single person on the plane stood up. I mindlessly grabbed my bags and headed off the plane, took a leak in the first MENS room and realized I was missing my glasses.
I wasn't 30 feet from the gate and got permission to re-board.. but my glasses were already GONE.
Dangit.
Someone must have spotted them in my seat (3A-First Class) and pocketed them.
I hope they enjoy them.. they were a very nice pair.
Bogus.
I am not feeling the full loss of them yet since the 2 glasses of wine have me partially sedated.
It will hit me when the sun comes up tomorrow.

New Family

I joined an elite group recently.
Harley Davidson motorcycle owners.
It's a nice family if you look past the tattoos, goatees, leather and scull-cap helmets.
One guy even had a "Loud Mufflers Save Lives" sicker on his helmet (safety conscious).
They all tell me I need a 'bitch' to ride on the back.
I think they are referring to the sweet and gentle girl that often accompanies you when you ride.. one that has more underarm hair than I do.
:)
Here's my new ride.

Insect Collection

My twin daughters have an assignment in school to collect 10 insects (and kill 'em).
I remembered doing this when I was a kid so I jumped in to help.
At first this sounded like a simple task: Just go outside and turn over some rocks and logs and grab everything that moves.

No so fast.
I was too anxious.. I had this instinct to kill bugs!
(I've eaten tons of them in my lifetime.)
Soooooo... after Daddy terminated a centipede, two rolypoly bugs, and spider... I was told they died in vain.

Insects only have 6 legs.

The beetle, the crane fly and the earwig were OK for the collection.
Tomorrow, I'm on the prowel for a bumble bee, a butterfly and perhaps a grasshopper!
I hope I can even dig up a grub or two! :)

(The 'Killing Jar' has some cotton balls with fingernail polish in it.)

Dude.. that's Rude

Sitting next to a girl that didn't have earphones for her DVD player showed me a new kind of rude.
We were on a regional jet, so the outside noise was a little louder than usual, which in turn caused our deaf little passenger to crank her DVD player so we all could enjoy a move only she could see.

No care for others.
No idea that she was not the only one on the plane.

Some people's kids.. I swear.

Applebees

I just ate a piece of leather that was on the menu claiming to be 'Applebee's Choice Sirloin'.
Thank God for Killians Red.. it helped.
:)
Remind me not to go to chain restaurants anymore.
Sheesh.

Chips Di Morte

There is a style of chip out there that will drain all the fluids out of our body and shrivel your tongue to resemble a sidewalk worm on a hot summer day.

"Salt and Vinegar"

Chips that Kill

Homeless and Rejected

A clean cut white guy approached me on the city street today as I walked to my office.
He said,

“Please,
Please Help Me.
I am homeless and need something to eat.
I am sorry for having to ask you for money.

My wife took everything from me,
And now I have nothing left.

Please.”

I gave him all the money that was in my wallet.

Marshmallows

A friend of mine told me something when I left the Navy.
He said, "Mike, watch out... don't let yourself turn into a marshmallow".

I laughed.

Now I know what he means.

Lean and mean has been replaced... I really need to workout.
:(

Post Coffee Blues

Woof.
I am wiped out.
I didn’t think coffee had an effect on me any longer.
Boy was I wrong.
I had a fairly late meeting last night and then went out for coffee at Starschmucks afterward. I downed the last of a monster Cup o’ Joe about 10:45PM.
I knew something was up as I drove home buzzing.
The books next to my bed got lots of use as I read chapter after chapter and even switched books often. Usually I can’t make it 15 minutes reading at night.
No restful sleep.
Psycho dreams.
I was somewhat relieved when morning struck… but am wiped out this fine Friday.
A good workout at the Gym would probably do me some good... but I haven’t been there in a long time either.
Woof.

This too shall pass.....