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Page 3
March 8th, 2008
So long, Cisk
Today
we said goodbye to Cisk, our first baby. After a year and a half
fighting cancer, it was time for her to finally rest. We will miss her
terribly. We found Cist at the Broward County Humane Society back in
1999, when we were still living in an apartment. All the kittens were
going fast, and here was this middle-aged four year old, sure of her
charms and beauty during the "interview". That affection and warmth
with total strangers was not just a trick to get adopted, this is the
way she was with everyone, as we soon found out. During the coming
years, she tuned in to our lives and let us know she cared in that
subtle way only a cat can. Her total trust in us continued when we
started having human kids. Here was a cat that would let a baby climb
on her, pull her skin and everything else, all without a hint of
protest. Mind you, our cats are not de-clawed, and are more than
capable of laying some ground rules if they so choose. Countless
lizards and frogs around the house can attest to her wild side. But
Cisk was just the definition of a good cat, always there when we long
for that calm presence, melting away the stresses of the day. Looking
back, she took care of us as much or more than we took care of her. We
will miss her passion for food. She wasn't into fancy stuff, or even
human food, she just wanted her grub twice a day. She was a big-boned
gal and had to keep that reubenesque appearance. We will miss her
motherly attitude towards her younger pal, Kinnie. How many times did
she greet her with a lick, only to get a face full of paw in return? We
will miss her love for the outdoors, but not too far. She would rush
past a closing door just to be on the other side, even if what's there
is practically the same as what's inside. But she would revel in those
moments of wild uncertainty, a few feet from her familiar environment,
wondering how long she would get away with it. In the occasions when we
did not noticed she had gone out, she would beg to be let in very
quickly, the thrill of being a crusader gone without our knowledge.
Some of you already know this, but we named our cats after popular
drinks local to Malta. Cisk was named after a beer, while
Kinnie
is a soft drink unlike
anything you might find here. Think "bitter orange", kids don't like it.
Up
Up
February 27th, 2008
Renaissance Festival
Every State has them,
you have no excuse not to know what this is, or even not attended one.
We started going to this one long time ago, and have returned almost
every year. 2008 marked the 16th Annual Florida Renaissance Festival,
and from the looks of it, it's going to be
around for a long time. There are two types of people coming to these
festivals: visitors and participants. We are visitors (although Erin
did dress up as a princess this year), we dress normal, look normal,
act normal and are completely out of place here. The participants, on
the other hand, are sometimes hard to tell apart from the people
working at the festival. Some really
get into character; it's actually kind of fun to see a medieval knight
get out of an Acura at the parking lot. Others, you can't even imagine
what they look like in everyday clothes. You can see some of them were
waiting for this moment for quite some time, and might even attend all
five weekends the festival is here.
It's actually very hard to see everything in one day, there's a lot of walking and if the weather is hot you will be pooped by dinner time. And every year is different. They will move some of the stages and events around, and some of the acts will evolve and change. The people seem the same, though, which makes you wonder if this is what they do all year. There is a bit of a "traveling circus" atmosphere to the whole thing, and maybe that's why. If you go, don't miss the joust and the falconry demonstration at the main arena. The glass blowing demo is also very interesting, if you can squeeze into the crowd enough to see. Of course, the "Mud Show" is a fixed staple, you don't even have to stand that close if you don't want (although that will not guarantee you won't get mud on you). As far as food, the even have sit-down dining rooms, but we typically grab a turkey leg and keep walking. Click on the picture for a gallery of our visits to the festival through the years.
Up
It's actually very hard to see everything in one day, there's a lot of walking and if the weather is hot you will be pooped by dinner time. And every year is different. They will move some of the stages and events around, and some of the acts will evolve and change. The people seem the same, though, which makes you wonder if this is what they do all year. There is a bit of a "traveling circus" atmosphere to the whole thing, and maybe that's why. If you go, don't miss the joust and the falconry demonstration at the main arena. The glass blowing demo is also very interesting, if you can squeeze into the crowd enough to see. Of course, the "Mud Show" is a fixed staple, you don't even have to stand that close if you don't want (although that will not guarantee you won't get mud on you). As far as food, the even have sit-down dining rooms, but we typically grab a turkey leg and keep walking. Click on the picture for a gallery of our visits to the festival through the years.
Up
February 17th, 2008
42 inches
That's
the magic number. As you may have noticed, many of our outings involve
places with rides: Orlando, Oktoberfest, the Fair... And all these
rides are classified according to the minimum height of the riders.
Erin just reached 42", which in the case of this next place makes all
the difference. Long before Mr. Disney decided to make Orlando one of
the biggest tourist destinations in the world, Florida had Cypress
Gardens.
Of course, back then it probably was not what anyone would consider and
"adventure park". In fact in 2003, with a depressed tourist economy and
competition from the Orlando giants, it looked as if the park would be
closing forever. Then, some investors came in and bought the place. A
couple of years and $50m later, the new and improved park re-opened.
The gardens and lake portions remain, but now there's clearly a newer
area in the style of a contemporary amusement park. Here's a nice write-up
of the pre-2003 park. To top it all off, it's a bargain compared to the
Orlando parks. Tickets are $40, and you get to come back for free
within six days, making it perfect for one
weekend. Well, for $80 you get a yearly pass, so if you live in Florida
that would be the way to go. In a straight line, it's closer than
Orlando. But because it's literally off the beaten path, it takes about
half an hour longer to get there.
OK, back to the 42" issue. The last time we were here, it must have been shortly after they re-opened. Erin was very small and could only go on the tiniest rides. Many of those rides appear gone now, but newer, better ones have been added. The always cautious and very conservative Erin gave us a huge surprise this time, because she wanted to ride on everything! For those rides that required an adult if under 46", she would drag us over to the entrance. Are you familiar with the free fall ride that slowly elevates you in a pod, and when it reaches the top simply drops to the ground? She did that. How about those old-fashioned looking roller coasters made out of wood? When you're on them it feels like the train will derail at the next turn, or the whole thing will just collapse like a mountain of toothpicks. She rode on that... several times. It was great. What we didn't know is that the water park is closed from October to February. So we're just going to have to come back for that, maybe in May.
More info here & here.
Up
OK, back to the 42" issue. The last time we were here, it must have been shortly after they re-opened. Erin was very small and could only go on the tiniest rides. Many of those rides appear gone now, but newer, better ones have been added. The always cautious and very conservative Erin gave us a huge surprise this time, because she wanted to ride on everything! For those rides that required an adult if under 46", she would drag us over to the entrance. Are you familiar with the free fall ride that slowly elevates you in a pod, and when it reaches the top simply drops to the ground? She did that. How about those old-fashioned looking roller coasters made out of wood? When you're on them it feels like the train will derail at the next turn, or the whole thing will just collapse like a mountain of toothpicks. She rode on that... several times. It was great. What we didn't know is that the water park is closed from October to February. So we're just going to have to come back for that, maybe in May.
More info here & here.
Up
January 20th, 2008
South Florida Fair
It's
that time of the year again, when the fair comes to town.
This is
no carnival ride trailer setup. I am sure there are permanent amusement
parks that are smaller than this thing. This year we teamed up with
Erin's friend Caitlin and her family, and along the way we bumped into
Julia, one of her classmates. This, and the fact that now she's tall
enough to ride on more serious rides made it a very memorable day for
her. Devon will have to wait until next year to get started with the
kiddie rides. It was very cloudy and it did rain at times, but for us
it was the perfect weather. It kept large crowds away and allowed us to
walk around without having to worry about the sun or the heat. Despite
the weather, this year was record-breaking, with well over half a
million people visiting the fair over the two week period. Click
here for a few pictures
from our visit.
Up
Up
January 2nd, 2008
Happy New Year!
It
was a very quiet holidays this year. We had planned to go away for a
few days, to Naples or something like that. But with so many things to
do around the house, we decided to skimp on
the stress and hang out here. Besides, our roof and chimney are finally
fixed, so no more leaks anywhere in the house! We
have been planning on getting Erin's room fixed-up and personalized
(themes around pink, of course), but until the leaks stopped
there
was no point. And before the summer Devon will be moving in with her,
so we'll have to figure out what to do about the bed situation. Did we
mention IKEA is opening a store in South Florida? Down in
Sunrise,
so I'm sure we'll get lots of ideas from there.
This year we wanted to take it easy with Christmas presents, knowing how half of those from last year went unused. At the end, it looks like we reduced the number a bit but it still seemed like a lot. And it appears like it's the simple toys that prove to be the ones that get the most use. Just like with the cats, you can get a fancy toy from the pet store and hope they like it. Or, you can innocently leave a cardboard box or plastic bag in the living room and they will play for hours like it was the best invention ever.
For Christmas Day we went to Steve & Tiffany's, just like last year. Only this year was not raining and two new babies were in the mix. When together, Nicholas and Devon did seem to be curious about each other. But Devon, being in a new place, had to explore and touch everything; leaving little time for socializing. Erin and Annabelle hit it off, running around and playing with their new toys. Of course, after dinner there was a chocolate fondue, just like last year. Only this year someone added cold milk during the warm-up and solidified the entire fountain. Good thing they had another bag of chocolate ready, and the second batch went on perfectly.
NYE was at our place this year, and we had a full house. No parade, but we did try out some "fireworks". As it turns out, fireworks in Florida are illegal if they are designed to leave the ground. What does that leave you with? Well, as it turns out our fancy box of fireworks was full of sparklers and firecrackers. We know better now. I think to qualify for the "leave the ground" variety; you need to be a farmer with a bird problem, or something like that.
Apart from that, it was a quiet evening, and except for the babies all made it to midnight. It was good to just sit and chat, catching up on what the last year had been like. And not just here, we had people from Massachusetts, Argentina, Germany, Cuba, Spain... this is the roll call:
Pat & Dana, from Mass. After skipping the last two years, they joined us again in our mini-reunion.
Bob & Mary (Grandpa & Grandma for you kids), from Jax. FL.
Frank & Kathy, from Miami. Last year's hosts.
Tito & Becky, only hours before their move to Jacksonville.
Our neighbor Carolina and her family, from Argentina.
With the Titos moving up North, there's a shift in the center of gravity of the state of Florida. For one, Kathy and the soon to be retired Frank will travel to Jacksonville quite often. The Northerners keep complaining about the heat down here in December... So there's talk about having the next NYE gathering up there. We'll see, it could be interesting.
Up
This year we wanted to take it easy with Christmas presents, knowing how half of those from last year went unused. At the end, it looks like we reduced the number a bit but it still seemed like a lot. And it appears like it's the simple toys that prove to be the ones that get the most use. Just like with the cats, you can get a fancy toy from the pet store and hope they like it. Or, you can innocently leave a cardboard box or plastic bag in the living room and they will play for hours like it was the best invention ever.
For Christmas Day we went to Steve & Tiffany's, just like last year. Only this year was not raining and two new babies were in the mix. When together, Nicholas and Devon did seem to be curious about each other. But Devon, being in a new place, had to explore and touch everything; leaving little time for socializing. Erin and Annabelle hit it off, running around and playing with their new toys. Of course, after dinner there was a chocolate fondue, just like last year. Only this year someone added cold milk during the warm-up and solidified the entire fountain. Good thing they had another bag of chocolate ready, and the second batch went on perfectly.
NYE was at our place this year, and we had a full house. No parade, but we did try out some "fireworks". As it turns out, fireworks in Florida are illegal if they are designed to leave the ground. What does that leave you with? Well, as it turns out our fancy box of fireworks was full of sparklers and firecrackers. We know better now. I think to qualify for the "leave the ground" variety; you need to be a farmer with a bird problem, or something like that.
Apart from that, it was a quiet evening, and except for the babies all made it to midnight. It was good to just sit and chat, catching up on what the last year had been like. And not just here, we had people from Massachusetts, Argentina, Germany, Cuba, Spain... this is the roll call:
Pat & Dana, from Mass. After skipping the last two years, they joined us again in our mini-reunion.
Bob & Mary (Grandpa & Grandma for you kids), from Jax. FL.
Frank & Kathy, from Miami. Last year's hosts.
Tito & Becky, only hours before their move to Jacksonville.
Our neighbor Carolina and her family, from Argentina.
With the Titos moving up North, there's a shift in the center of gravity of the state of Florida. For one, Kathy and the soon to be retired Frank will travel to Jacksonville quite often. The Northerners keep complaining about the heat down here in December... So there's talk about having the next NYE gathering up there. We'll see, it could be interesting.
Up
December 20th, 2007
Orlando before X-Mas.
One
more trip to Orlando and Disney, the money pit. It's close enough to
visit a few times a year, and not far enough to avoid over-doing it.
Now that Erin is getting older, trips like this get more enjoyable. We
can only imagine, once Devon is also around four we may need one of
those yearly passes. The
problem is that there's a lot to see and experience, and every time we
discover something new. So one of those passes would lock you into
either Disney or Universal for one year. So I guess we'll continue with
the "pay over time" plan. Epcot is the most "mature" of the Disney
parks, and the kids will just have to deal with it. Adults like it
because it has the right balance between rides and culture, plus the
night fireworks are pretty spectacular. Around Christmas the parks have
a different atmosphere, friendlier. Or maybe it's just the fact that
it's not a million degrees and dripping wet humidity outside.
Every trip to Orlando also includes Downtown Disney, Citywalk or Old
Town. This time, it was Disney's turn.
December 15th, 2007
Lion Country Safari
Another great place to
visit! An old friend of us, Lion
Country Safari
is a relatively large park and campground barely 20 minutes from home.
The drive-thru portion is very Africa-centric, but that of course is a
contrast from the Zoo and all the other attractions in South Florida.
At the entrance they will give you a CD you play as you drive along,
almost as if the tour guide was right inside the car! You don't even
have to work too hard to sync it with your driving pace, because it
tells you when to pause the disk. Some of the rhinos get so close you
almost regret not having brought a rental car to the park...
You also need to go in with very clean windows, because the pictures
you take, will have to be through them. The area where they keep the
lions is fully fenced, which is good for the other animals, but lousy
for pictures. The camera keeps focusing on the fence instead of on
what's behind (if only we had manual focus...). We did manage to get a
couple of pictures of a female lion chomping on a vulture that got too
close. They also have a conventional static exhibit area, plus rides
and a splash park for the kids.
One of the neatest things is a feeding area for giraffes. Up on an elevated tower you can buy some giraffe food, and they will come right up to you and take it from your hand with their long purple tongue. The petting zoo is simple, but still terrifying for Erin. We'll have to work on her farm animal phobia, although Devon might be more daring and soon encourage her along. Because there's too much to see in just one day, we got the year membership, so we will be adding more pictures from future visits. By the way, there used to be one in California.
Up
One of the neatest things is a feeding area for giraffes. Up on an elevated tower you can buy some giraffe food, and they will come right up to you and take it from your hand with their long purple tongue. The petting zoo is simple, but still terrifying for Erin. We'll have to work on her farm animal phobia, although Devon might be more daring and soon encourage her along. Because there's too much to see in just one day, we got the year membership, so we will be adding more pictures from future visits. By the way, there used to be one in California.
Up
November 30th, 2007
Werner's Birthday
Kristin
and Erin traveled to Germany in the middle of November to celebrate
Werner's 75th birthday. This was Erin's first real taste of winter in a
Northern climate, something she 's not eager to repeat in the near
future.
But the trip was
a total success, as they managed to see
everyone on the schedule and the weather stayed reasonable most of the
time.
The activities were centered around "Wal", the retired ice-breaking ship Werner has been commanding for many years now. It is stationed in the port of Bremerhaven, not far from Hamburg, and it is used for "adventure" cruises. Nothing like what you experience aboard a Royal Caribbean ship, on the Wal guests "endure" life aboard a small ship in some of the most uninviting waters and weather in the world. The kind of experience known to put hair on one's chest.
The party brought together people that had been apart for many years, especially for Kristin. It was great to catch up and share with them what life has been like in the States the last decade. Erin was a great trooper, considering the weather and the language barrier, she was a delight and a fun travel companion. She immediately clicked with Loretta and Charlotte, and of course was thrilled to see Oma & Opa in their home environment.
Here's the Wal as seen from Google Earth.
Up
The activities were centered around "Wal", the retired ice-breaking ship Werner has been commanding for many years now. It is stationed in the port of Bremerhaven, not far from Hamburg, and it is used for "adventure" cruises. Nothing like what you experience aboard a Royal Caribbean ship, on the Wal guests "endure" life aboard a small ship in some of the most uninviting waters and weather in the world. The kind of experience known to put hair on one's chest.
The party brought together people that had been apart for many years, especially for Kristin. It was great to catch up and share with them what life has been like in the States the last decade. Erin was a great trooper, considering the weather and the language barrier, she was a delight and a fun travel companion. She immediately clicked with Loretta and Charlotte, and of course was thrilled to see Oma & Opa in their home environment.
Here's the Wal as seen from Google Earth.
Up
November 28th, 2007
Butterfly World
This place may not be
near the top of the list for places to see in South Florida,
but
it would deserve an induction. One could easily spend an entire day
here, as log as the weather cooperates and the legs resist. The
butterfly immersion is guaranteed, no matter the time of the year.
People actually have to be careful where they step, to avoid disturbing
(or worse) the butterflies on the ground. There's also an excellent
aviary, plus a feeding pit, where one can feed nectar to
hungry
and demanding lorikeets. Butterfly World was actually closed
for
some time after the hurricanes from a few years ago damaged the
structures. Now they are fully operational, and their website
is an excellent place to check before the visit to prepare for what is
there to see.
Up
Up
November 25th, 2007
Packaged Wilderness
Long time ago, Florida
was one of the last frontiers. Wild, inhospitable and full of dangers.
These
days, not so much. But South Florida is still full of contrasts, and
none as abrupt as what you see between the developed coast and the wild
everglades. In places, less than a mile separate them, indicated by the
vanishing of roads, electrical lines, and anything familiar or
man-made. For us urbanites, there are alternatives to all-out
Everglades adventures, and right around the corner. Palm Beach County
has done a great job at rehabilitating areas that were reclaimed from
agricultural uses, or dedicated specifically for conservation. For the
most part they are free, and suitable for short strolls when the
weather allows. Within ten minutes from our house we have three great
choices: Wakodahatchee Wetlands, Green Cay and the Loxahatchee
National Wildlife Refuge.
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Up
November 23rd, 2007
CityPlace
If you live around here,
this is one place you must visit. CityPlace
was created a few years ago to attract the kind of nightlife
that
was missing from central Palm Beach. It was also part of a project to
revitalize the run-down areas by the rairoad tracks. Sure, there was
Clematis by Night, but that was mostly just Thursdays, and in
a
very
fragmented kind-of-way. With CityPlace, everything is in one place:
parking, shopping, dining and entertainment (usually in that order).
There's also a fancy theater, plus the Kravis
Center and the Dreyfoos School of the Arts are a short five
minute walk from here. Recently, they finished the new Convention
Center,
which added even more cachet to the area (amazingly, parking is still
OK). Condo towers also went up like mushrooms, but their viability has
been seriously affected by the housing slump. Bargain hunters might
want to keep an eye on this market for the next few years. Back to
CityPlace, the restaurants are all great, but wait times for the best
can be impossible. The Cheesecake Factory is always a safe bet, and we
also frequent a semi-fast food place called La
Salsa. If you are on the South side of the county, then you
should check out Mizner
Park, In Boca Raton. If on
the other hand you are way up North, Abacoa
is your spot.
Up
November 10th, 2007
Devon's Gallery
Finally, Devon's long awaited gallery is up! Thank you all for being so patient. This first batch is from her laying months. Soon, we will enter the crawling phase, for which we will have a better variety of pictures. It's hard not to see Erin in these pictures, and even in her expressions and attitude, she reminds us of her.Up
October 31st, 2007
Halloween
Another
one, and once again, a princess costume. This might be the last year
she fits into it. Devon was going to be a witch, but both her
and
Kristin got sick and had to sit it out. And to make matters worse, it
rained the whole time. We ended up going to Jordan's neighborhood,
where the pickings are a bit better than at our own. It was also the
first year Erin carved a pumpkin. We used a Little Mermaid template,
and it worked out quite well. The pumpkin lasted only two days before
it was covered in black mold, though. Some of the more seasoned
floridians had pumpkins out for over a week, so there must be a secret.
Some kind of varnish or lacker, perhaps? Those of you living in colder
climates don't need to worry about it, but down here if it doesn't rot,
it sprouts.
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Up
October 30th,
2007
Erin's Birthday
Four
years old, can you believe it?? Erin and all her friends got together
again to celebrate her birthday. This year we did it at The Little Gym,
up in Royal Palm Beach. It was great, all the kids had a good time and
the parents didn't have a chance to get bored. Yes, it felt a bit
short. but it beats having to host the party at your own house and deal
with the clean-up, no? Many of her friends already had experience with
gymnastic activities, so they felt right at home. For the others, it
took just a few minutes. There's no better motivator than seeing your
friends do something fun for the jitters to disappear. Last year we had
the party at the PlayMobil Castle,
and while the setting was great, we weren't the only ones there. It
made for quite a chaotic scene, not knowing who belongs in your party
or not. Well, for more pictures of this year's party, go here.
Up
October 21st, 2007
Oktoberfest in South Florida
A yearly tradition, the German-American
Club of the Palm Beaches organizes Oktobefest
during two or three weekends in the fall. Many years one of the
weekends is dropped due to a hurricane, so in effect it ends up being a
couple anyway. No storms this year, but lots of rain. This only makes
the already suspect carnival rides even more scary. For the parents, of
course.
But this is not just an excuse to bring out the beer and the Chicken Dance! No, this is a serious German club, with authentic German cuisine and imported entertainment (sometimes from Austria, but who's to know?) and of course, beer. The scale is much smaller from what you see in Babaria, of course, but the ambient is there. We normally don't stay too long into the night, so we have no idea how the party progresses (regresses?) after we go. This year we joined Erin's friend Amelia and her family, who have never done it despite living a stone's throw away from the place. The rain put a bit of a damper on the activities, but we managed to get a few rides in for the girls. The covered pavilions were especially crowded as well, with people trying to get a dry spot. Overall, it's great to be part of an Oktoberfest where the majority of attendees are wearing shorts and t-shirts! The hard-core members of the club, of course, come dressed in traditional German outfits.
Up
But this is not just an excuse to bring out the beer and the Chicken Dance! No, this is a serious German club, with authentic German cuisine and imported entertainment (sometimes from Austria, but who's to know?) and of course, beer. The scale is much smaller from what you see in Babaria, of course, but the ambient is there. We normally don't stay too long into the night, so we have no idea how the party progresses (regresses?) after we go. This year we joined Erin's friend Amelia and her family, who have never done it despite living a stone's throw away from the place. The rain put a bit of a damper on the activities, but we managed to get a few rides in for the girls. The covered pavilions were especially crowded as well, with people trying to get a dry spot. Overall, it's great to be part of an Oktoberfest where the majority of attendees are wearing shorts and t-shirts! The hard-core members of the club, of course, come dressed in traditional German outfits.
Up
October 14th, 2007
Bursting Out!
Well,
we did it. We managed to use up the 25MB allocated to personal web
pages. As luck will have it, this limit was a relic from the Adelphia
days, and those days are over. Now that Comcast is in charge, they are
slowly upgrading their services, including web pages. Sometime soon
they will increase the site limit from 25MB to 1GB! Now we're talking!
We've been struggling with ideas to fill up the girls page, but mostly
because of the size restriction. Now, the spigot is open and we will
start posting things about them (it will be mostly for the
grandparents, but they are people too, no?). We will stick with YouTube
stuff, because it's so easy and flexible. Maybe Comcast will have a
good calendar function we can use, since we can't get the Google one to
show any of the entries we add.
September 23rd, 2007
Our Zoo
It's certainly not the
biggest, but we couldn't ask for a more practical set-up. The Palm
Beach Zoo
is only ten minutes away, so we spend quite a bit of time
there.
Their yearly membership fees are a bargain, so if we want to go
visit for an hour, no problem! You probably can see the whole thing in
one day, which can't be said for any other Zoo we know, but this way we
never grow tired of it. Erin loves going and visiting her
favorites. By the way, these are not necessarily animals, since the
splash fountain and the carousel are obligatory stops. We'll
see
what happens when Devon gets into it too. Like much around here,
hurricane Wilma did a number on the park, and was closed for a good
three months. But it came back strong and better than ever (I guess the
benefit of a healthy pool of rich Palm Beach donors...) Some of the
most interesting animals are not even in the "resident" list. Wild
iguanas
and white ibis roam freely, safe knowing the food is plentiful and the
people friendly. If you live in the area, or are just visiting, the
cooler fall and winter months are the best time to visit. The Google
Earth link is here.
Soon we will setup a gallery
of zoo pictures to expand on this.
Up
Up
Up
August 21st, 2007
Hurricane Dean
With
hurricane Dean trashing the Yucatan Peninsula, we are
reminded how
intense the season can be for those who live in the Southeast. We were
lucky last year and it has
been
very calm so far in '07, but the strongest months are yet to pass.
Everybody thinks we will get at least one big one coming our way this
year. If you haven't done so, visit SERT
to register or to bookmark, if you don't live in Florida. In case of a
serious disaster, having a central information repository can be vital
when friends and family are displaced or missing.
This picture was taken around noon from the desktop on our computer. It is generated by a program called Desktop Earth, and it replaces the conventional wallpaper you might have been using. Every three hours it will update the cloud map to show the most current status practically anywhere in the world. Of course, this only works if the PC (sorry, no Mac yet) is connected to the web at all times, but most are nowadays.
This picture was taken around noon from the desktop on our computer. It is generated by a program called Desktop Earth, and it replaces the conventional wallpaper you might have been using. Every three hours it will update the cloud map to show the most current status practically anywhere in the world. Of course, this only works if the PC (sorry, no Mac yet) is connected to the web at all times, but most are nowadays.
Up
August
9th, 2007
Almost There!
She's
still trying to keep her face out of the water, which is making it
harder to get her legs behind her and swim. But Erin is now able to
cross the pool on her own, following the instructor. Soon we will start
lessons in our own pool as well, and we feel that may help her
confidence with more familiar surroundings. That could backfire, also.
More confidence might mean they pay less attention to the
instructor. Here, a little worm totally sidetracks the entire show!
August 8th, 2007
Something Cool
All of you are familiar
with
Google Maps & Google Earth, right?
There's something new available on Maps, and hopefully soon on Earth,
called Street View (Some info here).
They basically drive with cameras on the roof taking pictures all
around, and then linking them to the location where they were taken. At
first, only large cities are included, but I'm sure they will soon
expand to cover the whole country (including your house). Apart from the
obvious privacy
concerns, the idea is very neat. Imagine you want to find a restaurant,
and you already have the address. Now you not only have the directions,
but a picture of the place too. Have you seen that picture of Erin and
Samuel laughing while sitting on white rocking chairs? That picture was
taken while waiting for a table at a Cracker Barrel restaurant. You can
see it here. Remember that human
slingshot in
Orlando we mentioned earlier? Here you go, during daytime of
course. We still have the Google Earth link,
and clearly it will be the ultimate when Street View is incorporated
into it too. One more, how about the Cirque du Soleil building at
Downtown Disney? See it here.
Up
July 22nd, 2007
Homegrown Pineapples
We didn't set out to grow them, at first, they were just there. Sprinkled around our house there are a few pineapple plants, probably leftover from a project of the previous owner. We just let them be, mowing around them trying not to disturb. Once in a while, one of them will give fruit. If we manage to anticipate the raccoons and squirrels, we pluck it as soon as it turns yellow. This year he have two of them in the back yard near the pool. One of them is already in the kitchen, as you can see. The other one still has a few weeks to go. If we plant the top of the one we just cut, it will grow into a full pineapple plant. We are not 100% sure, but these two might be the result of us doing that more than four years ago.Up
July 21st, 2007
Lara,
and others in the same situation might be interested in this. Both Erin
and Devon have proven to be challenging when it comes to sleeping. With
Erin, we burned a CD with the sound of the hair drier and blasted it
until she fell asleep.
Technology progresses and with Devon we used a free program called
Audacity
to generate our own white noise. It started, of all songs,
with Billy Idol's "White Wedding". The program will turn it into white
noise and then we applied a "Wahwah" effect to create the wave sound.
We have a computer in the room, so with Devon we just play the MP3 file
in a loop. You can also burn a CD and loop it, as the file is only 10
minutes long. Or you can use Audacity to append six of them and fill up
a disk. Lara tells us that Miguel is a very good sleeper, so they may
not need this, but it's only the first week. Better be prepared...
Because
it's a large file (13.2MB), we are using the file-sharing site
RapidShare to store it. Click here and select the free download
to get it.Up
July 14th, 2007
Well,
the rains returned and the lakes filled up again. And with
that, what
appears to be the alligator that was a frequent visitor
the last couple
of years.
The level of the water had been so low, that we couldn't imagine it
being enough to conceal such a
large animal. A trapper already
tried to
catch it earlier this year, let's hope this time it will keep a lower
profile to avoid raising the alarm. Sunbathing like this will not help,
though. We were looking for it every day during Miguel's visit, but
nothing. Then, the morning after they left, out it came. This picture
was taken with long zoom and through the pool
screen, so it's a little fuzzy. You can clearly see we are not
dealing with a baby here.
July 12th, 2007
Miguel & Samuel
What
a great visit! We were all waiting in anticipation, but Erin was
specially eager to see her cousin again. They don't really speak to
each other, at least not with words. But
they connect in a way that
keeps them entertained for hours. Maybe words would just get in the
way. They are close enough in age to want the same things, and that
reinforced the connection. It was a short trip, at least for European
standards. But we managed to pack it to the top with fun things to do.
Right away, on the first day, we headed to Orlando, to meet Grandma
& Grandpa. Kristin stayed back home with Devon. It was
a smart
decision, because the heat and humidity of Orlando was brutal.
Maybe
it's the same where we live, but here we don't spend any length of time
outside, especially in the middle of the day. That first day we went to
Downtown Disney, and open, hang-out
area where kids can get their
Disney kicks in anticipation of what's next inside the theme parks. For
parents, it's another money pit, if you're not careful. We
strategically hopped from store to store, trying to minimize the time
out in the heat and sun. More pictures are posted in the Galleries section and the WebShots
page. The second day was the big one, Magic Kingdom. The kids are
pumped and we are just trying to figure out how long we will last . As
soon as we reach the park's parking lot we smell the familiar wildfire
aroma. There's a haze in the air but nobody
seems to make a big deal
out of it. By the time we get off the monorail, the smell is gone and
the air is clear. It's truly another kingdom. If you haven't done one
of these parks in the heat of summer with a three year old, well,
don't. The place
is spectacular, and you want to see it all. But that means walking
miles, and standing in line a lot, sometimes in the sun. Erin and
Samuel did as well as one could expect, but by 3PM we were all dead, so
as soon as the big parade was over we headed back. The intention was to
get some rest at the hotel and return for the evening events, but
between the thunderstorms and our energy levels that plan fell through.
Instead, we decided to check out Old Town. This is another hang-out
place, less elaborate and much lower budget. But in reality, just as
much fun. They have this human slingshot that you have to see,
especially at night. Grandma offered a ride to Tomás & Miguel
(it
seats two), but no dice. At the end of the strip they have some rides,
more carnival than theme park, and again the kinds enjoyed them just as
much. The last day we left Orlando for the coast, Daytona to be
precise. And of course we went to the beach and drove our cars on it.
As you can imagine, the sand was packed very hard, but Samuel &
Erin still managed to bury themselves. From here we split up. Miguel
and Samuel returned to Jacksonville with the grandparents,
while
Erin and Tomás drove back to Lake Worth. Matilda
finally got to meet
one of the grandchildren, and against all predictions, it wasn't Erin.
We don't seem to have a picture of her with Samuel, so if one exists,
please send it over. Matilda showed off her Frisbee-catching skills on
the beach, from where a group of dolphins could be seen playing in the
surf. This stuff never happens in South Florida! Too much boat traffic,
I guess. Miguel and Samuel rented a car and made it back down to Lake
Worth on Wednesday just in time to take part in the time-honored
tradition of the "all-you-can-eat buffet". We found a good one and take
all out visitors there, with the advice not to eat a big lunch. They
were not disappointed. On Thursday they were predicting rain, but they
still managed to visit a couple of natural preserves to check out the
alligators. Can't leave Florida without doing that! Friday
was
shopping day, time
for Miguel to complete the obligatory list of stuff to bring back. With
the Euro hovering around $1.35, how would you like getting 1/3 off
everything you buy? Erin and Samuel had a blast at the mall's
playground while most of that shopping took place. The rest of the time
we just spent it hanging around the pool and planning meals. For some
reason, when the group is larger than 4, food becomes a really big
deal. For the weekend, we headed to Miami, where they would stay until
their flight, Sunday evening. On they way there
we stopped by Tito's Harley shop, a huge setup for HOGs from
all
over the country. Some of the custom models looked to be too nice to
risk riding on the street, they would fit better in a museum. Down at
the Jimenez we joined the irresistible Erika Rose, who was only too
happy to be the center of attention. Until her parents came, of course.
That was the time when she switches to being the center of attention
for them, and the rest of us disappeared. Very cunning, the little one.
We left Miguel and Samuel that evening, and they spent the rest of the
visit at Kathy's. Although it was a short trip (a hair over a week), we
managed to make it seem longer and it turned out great. We're sure they
were as tired as we were by the end. Too bad we all had to go back to
work/school the next day...
Up
July 11th, 2007
Our Lake
Lake Okeechobee might not be getting any rain, but we sure are. That, and the current water restrictions limiting lawn watering to one day a week, have contributed to a healthy level in our lake. It's been a while since we have seen it so high, and the water managers will be reluctant to letting any of this water go unless a large storm approaches. But this is just a drop in the bucket, unless Okeechobee starts getting some serious rain, and get our backup water source full again.The main concern now is mosquitoes. As soon as the sun lowers enough over the Everglades, swarms of them come out and cover anything that breathes. It's evenings like this that we appreciate having our screen enclosure rebuilt after Wilma, a couple of years ago. The few that sneak inside the house are a torment for days, so we can only imagine spending any time outside. On previous years, Palm Beach county would send an old DC-3 up and down spraying for them. It seemed to work, because this year we haven't seen it, and these buggers are everywhere.
By the way, if you would like to see this lake from Google Earth, check it out: Our Home You must have Google Earth installed to follow the link, Google Maps won't cut it. It will open a new window and ask you what you want to do with the file. Just click on open to get Google Earth running. To get the program, go to our Links page and go to the Software section.
Up
July 10th, 2007
Swim Lessons
The
water in the swimming pools is finally warm (I know, unless it's at
least 75 degrees we're not getting in!), so it's the perfect time for
Erin to start her swimming lessons. She loves the water, but one thing
keeps her from finally swimming on her own: she hates to get her face
wet. These lessons will hopefully change that and allow her to enjoy
the pool all the way, without restrictions. Joining her are her friends
Jordan and Chase, which will also encourage them to progress with
respect to the others. So far, Jordan is far ahead in the "look, I'm
getting wet all the way!" department, and we hope she won't get bored
if the other two do not get there that quick. In about a month we will
post an update, and maybe a picture of Erin swimming on her own!
Up
July 7th, 2007