A New Year

We hope everyone had a "Great Christmas" and wishing you all a "Fantastic "New Year"!!!!

Christmas Eve we ushered and served for the 7PM and 11PM Church Service and at Midnight I played "Silent Night" on the Guitar joined by my son Jonathan as those attending left by Candle light, it was a very nice service with Communion and song. We got home tired and went nite-nite!

Christmas Day started out early, and quietly with just the 2 of us.









We left the house and headed up to Church as the family was having dinner together, there is not enough room here to seat everyone so we used the church kitchen, I cooked a 15 pound turkey, a 8 pound "Smithfield Ham", Anna Mae and I did sweet and white potatoes, squash, stuffing and my daughter Sabrina brought desert.

Our Son Jonathan and the Granddaughter Shannon were in charge of opening the "Homemade" Christmas Wine which was a nice aged White Zinfandel made for me by an Old Marine from the Legion.

It is not every husband who goes out of his way to buy his wife and sweety a "Brand New Frying Pan" for Christmas!!!











My son-in-law Ed, grandson Brent, me and Son Jonathan resting after a full bellyfull of "Christmas" food!!! Brent is 8 years old, 103 pounds and wears a 7 1/2 sneaker, I think he takes after Grampa!!!

Santa was good to me as he left me a new "Norelco"

The "Grand-Children, Brent and Shannon relaxing after the meal!

When coming back from Florida we stayed at a Motel and my Honey loved the Comforter on the bed so she made a note of the make and brand and company and when we got home she ordered it, Its nice on the bed when its below zero outside.

We cooked the Christmas Feast early Christmas Day and had everything ready for when the family came!

We all enjoyed our meal and good time togeather Christmas Day!




Don't forget our Veterans!



It is sad to report the Passing of the following this holiday period:


Richard Odette, USN 12/22/09
Vietnam Veteran Cady Buckley, 12/24/09
WWII Veteran and Former POW Andy Miles, 12/25/09

Andy was captured during the fighting of the Battle of the Buldge.

Home

Well, its time to leave Florida and Head for the Frozen North Country and waste land of Northern New York, It sure has been fun down here!!

Not that I like to fish but this is what I was doing while Anna Mae was unpacking the car when we first got here in Okeechobee!!









It was a good thing I caught that fish because this "Alligator" came up the canal behind the house and I am sure I saved its live by removing if from the water and putting it back in the water away from where the gator was.









I pleaded with my Honey that I should stay in Florida and help keep the "Senior Citizens" in shape and amused while there!!!









I could do Missionary work here helping people understand the evils of living a "Fast Life"!!








The "Famous" Hog's Breath Saloon, smells a lot like a Urinal!!!!

The "Beaches" are beautiful in the Florida Keys!!!!!

As its only 90 miles to Cuba does not seem all that far away!!!!!!

"Tiki Bars" are nice if you have a lot of money to get rid of as you pay for "atmosphere"!!!

You can't get lost as there is no farther to go once you get here unless you can walk on water!!!







Ft. Pierce where the UDT and Navy Seals started training, awesome museum and items of interest!!






A Nice glass of wine in the afternoon to relax and soak up the sunshine and warm weather!!!

Fort Pierce, Florida

Ft. Pierce Beach was nice, quiet but no swimming due to rip tides that day!!!!!






RAIN!!! who cares, it was warm and the fish were biting, big and small and it was time to pack the car and head for home!!!!!!!!!!!!
The trip home was nice thru Florida and Georgia, we went to pants and shirt in North Carolina, put on our coats in Virginia where we saw a "little snow" and up in Pennsylvania it was rain and fog as thick as pea soup, In New York State it was cold and when we got to Carthage we had SNOW, LOTS OF SNOW!!! and it is still snowing!!! This is our entrance way!










It has snowed and blowed all day, we have snow forecast for today, all day Friday and also for most of Saturday, its supposed to quit snowing for awhile on Saturday, sure is coming down, white outs from the blowing snow and high winds have caused power outages and lots of accidents so there is now a "No Travel Advisory" posted by the Sheriffs Department.







In between white outs and blowing snow it quit for a minute, sure can't wear shorts, sandals and t-shirt here now!!!

Don't forget our Veterans!!!!!!!!!!

Heading Home

The time has come to bid "Good-bye to Florida for awhile! Have to head home, yesterday I spent all day in BED, almost went to the "Emergency Room" , my "Diverticulitis" acted up pretty bad, almost could not stand the pain BUT, some heavy duty pain killers, sleep, rest, Gatorade, Jello, Chicken Broth, more jello, more chicken broth for 2 days and tonight I feel somewhat better.

We leave for the frozen tundra's of New York State in the morning. (Boo-Hoo)! It looks like rain all along the eastern seaboard and SNOW for us at the end of the week when we get home, but we have enjoyed our break and take home many memories.

OK, Jack, you and Sher can come on down now cuz we're leavin you some space, and I think there are a few fish left.









On a "sad note I have to tell you one of my "Best Friends" in Texas, Mark who we have been praying for is losing his battle with this 3rd round with Pancreatic Cancer, We found out his loving and caring wife is calling in "Hospice"!! Must be God needs another Policeman up in heaven to help him.









Don't forget our Veteran's serving for us and remember those who have served us!

Enjoying Vacation Time

We left a "Cold & Damp" New York, drove to Virginia and got on the Auto-Train in Lorton, Virginia and rode the train with our car from Lorton to Sanford, Florida, it was a fairly nice ride and us and the car arrived all in one piece, it was about 40 when we left New York and when we arrived in Florida at about 8:30 Wednesday morning it was 60, sunny and has been nice every since we got here, actually it has been "HOT"!!!

Neither one of minded the "Train Ride" as we got to Florida feeling relaxed and ready to go, we did have to strip off the Flannel Lined Pants, sweat shirts and jackets and put them away in the trunk of the car as we will need them when we get half way home next week!!

It didn't take me long to get to what I like to do best beside cook and that is fish, while anna mae unpacked the car and got our things into the house, I got the Pole and was fishing!!!!!!!

I practiced some casting and managed to catch a few "Crappie" and some "Specs" but threw them back to get bigger!!!

Fishing is almost as much fun as Cooking!!! and standing around in the sun was fun also!!!!!!!!

Anna Mae and her Mother, Irene got a chance to spend some nice time together sitting out in the gazebo overlooking the Canal behind her house and I fished it all I could as there are some nice Bass here right out the "back-door"!!!!!

We went down to "Buckhead Ridge" where we had a nice place and checked out the sights, got real cold and had to put on a jacket cuz it was down in the 60's!!! We are standing over the canal to Lock # 7 and on my favorite fishing bridge, right behind us is Lake Okeechobee behind the green knoll.

We went around the Village of Okeechobee checking out the place and went downtown to the park where they have Tanks, Military items and a nice Memorial Park for all "Veterans"!!!!!

We took a break in the afternoon and shared a nice "Ice Cold" glass of home made wine while soaking up the SUNSHINE"!!!!!!!!

We finally went Bass Fishing out on Lake Okeechobee, our "Guide" was Anna Mae's Uncle John Waite, he has lived here a while and has fished this Lake for a Long time and knows the spots to go.

All "Bass" caught out on the Big " O " have to be at least 18 inches to keep, this was one of the many we caught pictured above??? Lake Okeechobee is about 35 miles long and 45 Miles wide and in the deepest parts is about 15 feet deep. When we spent the winter here 2 years ago it was "BAD", there was only abpout 8 to 9 feet of water here in it and the fishing was bad, nobody came to fish and it hurt the economy, thankfuly this year is is almost full at 14 to 15 feet deep.

Above is our local "Guide" Uncle John and his niece Anna Mae heading out of the Canal out on to the Lake and we are MOVING!!!

Uncle John holding up one nice "Bass" he caught BUT over the side it went, this is just one of the 20 some Bass he caught!! The Lake was like a Mirro and we could see the smole off in the distance where they were "Burning" the sugar cane fields getting them ready to harvest

This is one of the 6 Bass I caught and they were sure "scrappers and fighters" which made it worth while to drag one in and not feel bad because he was short of 18 inches to keep and also not feel bad for all the ones I caught that ALMOST made it into the boat as they can sure spit out a hook!!!

This beautiful little "Fisherwoman" was the first one to catch a bass, she got 5 and also lost a few almost getting them into the boat!!!

An 18 inch Bass is big, these darlings beauties were all put back in quickly after the photo was taken!!! The totals for the day were I got 6, Anna got 5, Our "Guide" had over 20 when I quit counting, they were many, many hits which made you keep casting and reeling in to get the next one into the boat!!!

We took this Air-Boat path down one of the many canals off the Lake to see find the gators and birds and look at the flower and fauna which was fantastic!!

This "Little" beauty above was one several we saw along the banks of Lake Okeechobee and along the side canals, Uncle John said this one was about a 15 foot one, I was in the front of the boat with the camera and to me he looked like he was about 25 feet long as I got closer and closer to him before he slid off into the deep.

Hope everyone is doing great!!

AND:

Don't forget, "REMEMBER THE VET"!!! Those who have served and those serving!