It was worse a tad north of where I am. Late this morning it was warm, very muggy, and blowing hard. The rain started, the weather radio went off talking about tornadoes nearby, the temperature dropped by 20 degrees, the rain let up and now it's calm, considerably less humid, and a lot cooler. Storms in the south are always dramatic, but short-lived this time of year. The worst part is debris from the live oaks hitting the roof, which sounds...
These things are a pain the foot. They came into Mobile, Alabama (just across the bay from me) in the 1930's and have dug their way through the sandy soil from Texas to Florida. They are tiny, about 1/8 of an inch, have jaws which grasp but also a stinger. Ants are uber social creatures, and when they go into panic, or stampede, mode you're screwed. The stings hurt like hell and the sores last for a month. Postules they call them. When the ants...
The last time I toured the beach here the oil spill cleanup was going full blast, and some hurricane damage was obvious. All the work projects are done now, and there're even some new buildings. The sand is white and soft as sugar, the water is smooth and blue, clouds drift by, the sun shines, temperature is in the 70's. The towns are predictable, little difference between here and South Padre, condos, hotels, beach shops, and regular...
Sometimes my days are as regular and boring as yours. Today I washed and waxed the truck, still chasing dust from Burning Man out of it. The Two Lindas demanded I have lunch with them today and we had a good time. Linda and Linda are friends of friends, and Bobbie noticed that we were in the same place so she introduced us (from Texas). The Lindas are workcampers, travelling around for their jobs. Good people. They move on tomorrow, but I have...
I took a quick spin around the neighborhood to re-acquaint myself with it, but didn't go to the beaches. I cleaned out my truck to get it ready for washing (I wash it when I change states) and swept out the acorns, oak leaves, and long pine needles that have accumulated in the bed while I was in Florida. The truck itself is almost yellow from the pine pollen. I made a pass through my house looking for crap to put in the dumpster and came up with...
I'm at the Escapee park here, one of my favorite stopping places. I'll be here for a week at least, maybe 2. I was happy to get out of Florida. I enjoyed Big Cypress, the Everglades, and the Keys, completely avoided the big cities, and was disappointed that the state doesn't seem to have a culture besides tourists and transients. It's not the Southern culture ("If you want the South, go north" is what they say), and not Spanish or...
This is one of the nicest National Park campgrounds I've been in, and an outstanding place. All things considered it's probably the nicest beach I've seen, but too soft and fluffy for driving. I got here just as the rain started and knew I'd have 48 hours of rain and wind, then cooler temperatures. I split my time sight-seeing and hassling moving my internet domain from one host to another. Its not terribly difficult, just a lot of steps....
A friend tipped me off to this place, not far from Chiefland. It quickly became one of my most favorite towns. It's on the gulf, surrounded with small keys (islands), specializes in farmed clams, looks ridiculously cute, and has an amazing number of bars and restaurants. I headed towards one and ordered a bowl of steamed clams, and must say they were the among the best I've had. I was going back for more when I got pointed to Tony's for their...
New blog, new website, new email. For years I've used a single web-hosting service, a startup company that provided full services, great pricing, and reliable customer service. They grew, and acquired some competitors, then were acquired themselves. Stop me if you've heard this story before. They sent me an email announcing I had been converted over to their new system, and my blog didn't work. Nor my website. I called them and got the...