Florida trip - day 5

Today we went to the Naples Zoo instead of the beach since it was cloudy and overcast. However, after about an hour (or less) at the zoo it started to storm pretty badly. We were issued rain checks and hope to be able to finish the tour tomorrow morning. While we were there we saw tigers, panthers, a lion, and even some crocodiles/alligators. When the rains came we headed home where we had another wonderful feast. Aunt Luellen is quite the cook! Hopefully the skies will clear tomorrow and after the zoo we plan to go to the beach and a seafood restaurant on one of the inlet bays. As we start to think about heading home this weekend, we must check into what parts of Georgia may be without fuel. We’d hate to be stranded in Georgia because all the stations are out of gas. We’d much rather be stuck here in Naples!

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Florida trip - day 4

I was unable to post photos last night because I couldn't find a wireless connection but this morning I drove down the street and found a nice little bakery/cafe that has a strong signal. Anyway, here's what we did yesterday. Got up and had a breakfast by the beach in St. Pete before taking off for Naples. We took the Sunshine Skyway bridge which was incredible. It took you way up in the air over the bay as we went from St. Pete back to Tampa. When we got to Aunt Luellen's house we unpacked and then headed off to check out the beach. Went swimming again with the stingrays... I found a little hermit crab in the water and we played with him for a while before heading back to the house. We have all gotten a kick out of the little lizards that are everywhere down here in Florida. ---

Florida trip - day 3

Up and at 'em early again today and off to Calvary Chapel of St. Petersburg. They have a giant church that meets in a building formerly a Wal-mart. The inside was simply amazing!!! Worship (music) was simply awesome and the message was a great sermon about the burial of Christ. After that, it was back to the beach for some early-afternoon swimming. But before we could get to the water we were accosted by a flock of seagulls and no, I didn't run so far away... (a joke for all you who grew up in the 80's). We fed them bread for a while. We swam for a few hours in the warm water. This time I got to see a sting-ray! He was about 2' long and just feet from shore!!! Good thing it was afraid of us; that kept it scurrying away whenever we'd get too close. John and I went into the deep waters looking for other sea life and ended up finding a sand dollar and a conch shell with the critter still in it so we tossed them both back. For supper we went back to John's Pass Village/Boardwalk for a seafood eating frenzy! There are some cool little shops everywhere too so we were all busy and bushed by the time we got back to the hotel. Tomorrow morning we head out to Naples. If you ever find yourself staying in St. Pete, we highly recommend the Best Western on Treasure Island. Not only is it right by the beach, it is also in the middle of what looks to be a 1940's entertainment district with clubs and hotels that you would expect to find Ricky Ricardo and his Orchestra playing...like the Thunderbird. I love those classic signs.

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Florida Trip - Day 2

We left Macon, GA this morning and on the way to St. Pete, we stopped off to see my great-Aunt Claire who lives in Brooksville, FL. We had a wonderful lunch with her and then we prayed with her before departing for our hotel on the beach in St. Pete. We had a great time hitting the beach. We found a coconut floating in the water and saw several small stingrays (yikes!) in the very shallow part of the tide! I stuffed myself to the gills with seafood tonight as we all went to a wharf restaurant to eat dinner. After all that driving, swimming, and eating we are bushed and ready to hit the hay in our hotel.

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On the way to Florida

Well, we are off and heading to Florida. Stopping for the night in Macon, G. On the way down we saw a beautiful rainbow reminding us of God's promise to His people. We were indeed blessed and protected on the way down as we only ran into 1 traffic jam (just south of Knoxville, TN). Tonight we will rest and then head out in the morning to Brookville, FL to have lunch with Aunt Claire and then to our hotel in St. Petersburg, FL which is right on the beach! Stay tuned...

Flashback of the week: 1979

The year is 1979 and I am 10. I would spend rainy days playing Atari or reading Mad Magazine or Batman comics. In fact, Batman was my superhero of choice. Of course I'm not sure why I liked a superhero who had no super powers...but that's beside the point. I would go with Mom up to Ackerman Pharmacy in "downtown" Mt. Carmel and look for the latest Batman comic. I also had a Batman & Robin alarm clock that would wake me in the morning by saying something like, "Holy moley Batman. It's time to wake up!" "That's right Robin. Up and at-em!" Pretty cool for a 10-year old. But my favorite thing I had was a Batman puzzle-in-a-can. I remember when I first got it. I thought I would never be able to put it together. It was my first "real" puzzle. I would spend hours putting that together over and over again. I also had a Batmobile, Bat-boat, and Bat-helicopter that I would play with but I think I got the most enjoyment out of drawing Batman and then coloring him in. I wish I would have kept one of those drawings. The images on this page were taken from eBay auctions. I searched out some of the stuff I used to have just to refresh my memory. Being 10 was so care-free; I just didn't think so at the time.

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Bandits in the newspaper

The Boone County Bandits appeared in the Florence Recorder the other day (Sept. 18, 2008) in recognition for their 2008 championship season. They finished in 1st place in two separate leagues and also won a Cincinnati area tournament afterwards. A very nice season indeed. We coaches were very proud of the way the boys performed this year. The Bandits was led by the superb starting pitching of Colt and Nolan and by John's arm in the bullpen. On top of being the relief specialist on the team, John led the Bandits in hitting with a .440 batting average! All of the boys contributed in one way or another. A year to truly remember. (click on the above picture for a close-up view)

Melinda - Covergirl

One of the benefits of being an editor for a publication is that I can 'sneak' people into the magazine. Most recently I needed a bowling photo to accompany a story about whether or not people hang out together more in the city or in the suburbs. 'Bowling alone in the suburbs' is the basic premise. Since we had recently went bowling and took a few photos, I seized the opportunity to utilize one of the shots for not only the issue, but for the cover!

More damage from Hurricane Ike

This house on my way to work was basically engulfed by the canopy of the old tree that was in front of it. Huge area of the yard came up with the tree too as you can see. Fortunately, nobody was hurt and the damage underneath appears to be minimal if only superficial. Still 25% of the people in the Cincinnati area are without power. I have never seen or experienced anything like this before. EVER! The same thing apparently happened in the year 1900 when a hurricane hit Galveston, Texas and then came up the Mississippi River. It was just as strong in Ohio then as its' winds were reported to have sunk boats on Lake Erie. In the past 7 months we've had a major blizzard, a minor earthquake, and then a category 1 hurricane. What's next? Meteor showers?

Voting Tip #62

JUST THE FACTS, MA'AM

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When "attacking" a candidate with whom you disagree, keep in mind this quote from a trial attorney: "If you have a good case, hammer the facts; if not, hammer the person." The more you hear childish insults aimed at a candidate, the less credible the attacker appears to clear-thinking individuals. It reveals a serious lack of understanding of the issues by the bomb thrower. We saw this type of behavior for the past 8 years against the President Bush and in the 8 years prior to that against President Clinton. Calling a group of people (ie. Conservatives, Christians, Liberals, etc.) names will only hurt your own side. Duh... So stick to the facts and only partake in rational debates. Don't stoop to the second-grade politics that the bloggers are dealing in right now. Critique policy and experience but be careful to have your facts in line before doing so.

Hurricane Ike...

Well, the reminants of Hurricane Ike raced through the city yesterday causing power outages nearly everywhere. We were without electricity from 2:30 pm yesterday until after 7:15 am this morning! The winds were gusting up to 80 mph at least. With no rain, and partly sunny skies, it made for a very interesting experience. We even went out back during the winds and played in the wind. There were no big trees near us back there. Here are a few photos I took of the Burlington area where trees were down all over the place.

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Our 16th anniversary!

14 years ago today the weather was simply beautiful and so was Melinda as we were married at Faith Christian Fellowship Church in Newtown, OH. After dating non-stop since Spring 1986, and after we both finished college, we were finally wed. We vowed long before to get through school first. I asked her formally to marry me on Christmas Eve 1990. She said yes and two-and-a-half years later we were husband and wife. 16 years and 2 kids later we find ourselves here and happy as can be. We often think back to the fact that we have shared in each other's lives since our Junior year in high school (that's 22 years worth!). Through thick and thin; good and bad; sickness and health, we are doing better than ever thanks to the Lord being the focal point of our lives. Happy anniversary Mel!

Flashback of the week: Early 1975

It's early 1975. Judging by the scene out the window it's a wet day and Spring is still apparently not upon us yet. I was finishing my first year of school in Mrs. Moore's kindergarten class. For some reason there was no class photo taken of us kindergartners so my mom walks across the street to the school one day and pops in to our class and asks Mrs. Moore if she can take a "class photo" with her little camera. I am in the green shirt standing next to the teacher along with Jimmy Cowan and Lisa Philpot (at least I think that is her name). What is amazing is that as I looked at this photo I could remember a bunch of my classmates' names! I see Brian, Eric, Mike, Stephanie, and others. A lot of people in there I have not thought about in over 30 years but I'm still remembering their names. The power of photos in restoring one's memory is amazing.

Public Hearing Night

My latest editorial colunm and cartoon from Kentucky Planner magazine (Summer 2008):

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Why do some of our public hearings turn into crazed, angry mob fests where the public grabs their torches and act like they are storming the Bastille in Frankenstein-like fashion? What has made these folks so mad? Most of the time it’s because something (anything) is being proposed in or near their backyard. NIMBYs on display. I doubt they realize that there were people who were just as angry when the farm that became their subdivision came up for a zone change, but I digress. Back to the angry mob. A lot of the time the issue that they bring to the table at these Public Hearings is not germane to the request at hand. In other words, they have had a beef with the Commission in the past and therefore will continue to bring it forward at any and all public meetings they can attend. While the participation of the masses should be applauded, if it is not done in an orderly manner, it only throws a monkey wrench into the planning process which is actually set up to protect the residents. Instead of posting flyers on the town telephone poles, angry residents simply create a webpage that will often misrepresent the process to those not familiar with the process. Things can get very ugly as a result. That’s why whenever I have a chance to talk to the public prior to a potentially contentious meeting I will reinforce the fact that in order for them to be more effective in the public hearing process they need to be organized, courteous, and on-point or else their valid concerns may not be properly heard or addressed. In other words, I tell them to leave the torches at home.