Connor the maestro and master of wii as well!

So I need someone to 'splain it to me ("'splain it to me Wally" ... yes indeed I am dating myself with that line aren't I!!)...

WHAT is it with this wii game thing that can elicit such intense concentration from a five year old (although my observation during this photo session indicates it is NOT solely the five year old that has this concentration level, or the need to beat the opponent!!! Just an observation mind you). Furthermore, the tongue out while concentrating on whatever task is at hand ... um another generation of the Peck family with that "gene"! I LOVE IT!

After several wii challenges Master Connor moves on to become Maestro Connor! Hmm, he does have a guitar and maybe drums at home, does he need a keyboard of one sort or another as well?

These photos were taken at Chad and Amy's house the day we arrived (as well as Joshua, Trisha and Connor) in MA for "the big event". It was a terrific, laid back fun time. We did go to Whitman so Joshua could have his "fix" of the local bar pizza he's been craving for years since he left MA. Nice greasy bar pizza! Good thing Rick and I waited a couple days afterwards to have our lab work done!

That's all for this brief post - I will now go into iphoto and upload photos for the next post - which just might be THE wedding!!! Although my wedding photos are not great - long story, but I broke yet another camera at the rehearsal dinner ...

a post in reverse

Trying to back up and fill in since the last "real" post!

Easter Sunday we needed to just get out - I'd been sick once again with the ongoing stomach issue and the walls were truly closing in - even if I felt awful I needed to get the heck out and I think Rick and Sir did as well.

We decided to head to the Olustee Battlefield historic site about 25 miles west of here. We thought also that perhaps Sir could run around and get some much needed exercise. The battle here started February 20, 1864 eventually the Confederates won and succeeded in pushing the Yankees (aka at that point, as the "Federal Troops") back to Jacksonville - about 55 miles to the east.

There is a reenactment here every February - even I would like to attend that! Go figure.

As most of you probably know, King Richard is a history "buff" (me, well not so much). Rick enjoyed touring the site and reading about the battle while Sir and I walked down one of the many dirt roads. However, Sir was much more concerned about where Rick was so we didn't walk far nor did we get the exercise we'd hoped for.

As it happened, there was a family having a reunion celebration there. What a wonderful time they looked to be having. In speaking with one of them (who came over to admire Sir himself!), she told me there were four generations in attendance that day and they'd been having their reunion every Easter for sixty years! I've never had a family reunion as such (although the Peck Family Christmas aka Peck Family Christmas Bar-B-Que comes darned close, just no cousins etc.). This family get together even included an Easter egg hunt for the young'ons! They were so much fun to watch!

And, as you can see from the photo above, it was a lovely location! This was an azalea and wisteria in bloom as you entered the caretakers residence. It was quite warm - 85'ish - that day.

Stay tuned ~ I promise to get up to date as soon as possible - so much has been going on it will take a few posts!

yup we're still around

It's been a whirlwind of a couple weeks. Been to MA for THIS glorious event. Got back to FL yesterday and our niece is here with us for a few days. When life gets back to "normal" I will do a proper post of our trip north - lots of great photos.

The ying and the yang of a day ...

Trying to post a peaceful sunset photo and even that doesn't want to cooperate!

So the day starts off with yet another issue with our "mail forwarding service" this morning. Yup, I'd handed over any and all dealings with them to King Richard after the last fiasco with them ~ in a long stream of costly fiascos - ugh, before I even get coffee into my system this morning they rear their ugly flippin' heads again.

The day ends with the wrong pizza ....

major stuff right (she types with what should be a smirk, but I can't even do the smirk right now after this festering crap, but I do appreciate the insignificance of it in the whole scope of a lifetime BUT) - I give up with it ... it's been a beauty of foolishness in immeasurable proportions today for sure.

The positive in it is ~ I FINISHED AMY'S VEIL TODAY and it will be on its way to MA in the morning .... now for the ultimate therapy - I am headed to work on a quilt - which absorbs tears along with creating something - guess that's a double positive (???).

Word has it there is some sort of benefit here at the Macclenny Moose Lodge tomorrow - can't get any info on it, but perhaps (hopefully) a volunteer opportunity - I sure need that kind of diversion ..

G'night all ....

a whole lot of chillin' goin' on

On Tuesday we left the Elks Lodge in Jacksonville that we'd been at for a week and came to Macclenny to the local Moose Lodge - just down the street from our Chester. Nice rv facilities they have here - friendly (but way too smokey) lodge as well.

We got the bikes out yesterday ~ yup, even mine came out ~ and went for a ride we've done often from here over to Lake City about 40 miles west.

The main reason we headed over there was to see yet another Moose Lodge that has rv facilities.

The Elks have a great group of books that show all the Lodges throughout the country, listed by state with a map of each state indicating where the lodges are. The books also indicate the ones that have facilities and lists what type of hook ups they have.

The Moose (as well as the American Legion), unfortunately, don't have this great resource available to their members. It is often very challenging (and quite often happens by accident) to find what Moose Lodges and Legion Posts have facilities and what those facilities entail.

Alas, I digress (once again). When Rick posted our datastorm location the other day when we arrived here in Macclenny he also went to the map that shows fellow datastormers in the area and saw that one was at the Lake City Moose Lodge so that was our plan for yesterday - to explore that Lodge.

The photos in this post were all (and about 40 others!!) taken there. Isn't it lovely and peaceful?

The down side (if there is one) is that if we were there Sir would be beside himself to get into that lake (Watertown Lake). THAT would not be good - there are gators in that there lake!

We had a great ride, met friendly people at the Lodge and certainly appreciated another option of a place to be!

El Toro and the Duck with a side of green beer

Just before we left the Palm Beach area we stopped at a great Mexican restaurant where we had dinner a few nights before with Larry, Sheila, Sam and Carol (previous post). They ~ El Toro ~ had a terrific tiki bar where we were allowed to bring Sir for a while. He was on such terrific behavior that when I was leaving with him people commented that they hadn't even known there was a dog there (as it should be).

We did have to do the usual Sir at the bar photo of course. As well as posing in front of the statues outside. There were several more statues in the pool area but I didn't think it was a good idea to bring him in there, as it was fenced and if he'd gone in there I am certain he'd have wanted to go in the pool, so it was one of those rare occasions when logic prevailed and I "did the right thing"!

Another thing we did at the end of our time in the West Palm Beach area was take a Diva Duck Tour with the Vovos.

Diva Duck had nothing on the Boston Duck Tours (on which Rick and I were married). But as Roy pointed out to me, West Palm Beach surely doesn't have the history that Boston does and that is part of the charm of the Boston Duck tours as far as I'm concerned.

The water part of Diva's route was the Intracoastal Waterway, which runs between Palm Beach and West Palm Beach. Check out these boats - ummm I guess they should be referred to as yachts right? They were in a marina (seriously, do you think!) on the West Palm Beach side ~ in fact I'm not sure marinas are allowed on the Palm Beach side!

Below are two of the homes on the Palm Beach side. I loved the bougainvillea surrounding the deck and the garages. Also, the green on the "panes" of the garage doors is actually ivy - can you imagine training all these beautiful plants like this ... oh yes, I guess that is what one would have a "gardener for" but how would I know for sure! The first time I'd seen bougainvillea was our first stay (2007) at my lodge in the Keys - I fell in love with it then. It comes in so many beautiful colors and looks like crepe paper.

The second home - I loved the dog statue, but darned if I can remember whom the home is owned by ~ yes the guide did tell us, but I'm having a senior moment.

This past week of course we celebrated, as Patrick says, the holiest of holy days! Didn't our precious princess pose so nicely when her mommy asked her to be still so she could get a photo of her wearing her festive shirt! I can't wait to see our baby again in just a few weeks! She is learning sign language so I'm certain Grampa will have fun with that - remembering his signing skills with his granddaughter! Can it get any better?

Rick and I had our own celebration at a local restaurant - with boppers of course (this time provided by the restaurant!) and the awesome corned beef (sliced deli thin) - the cabbage, well not so much 'cause it was cold cold cold and not cooked enough!

The wild things ~ part two

Computer issues computer issues computer issues - hopefully this will post!

Thank you so much Lynda for your comment on the first post about Lion Country Safari - what a terrific trip you had huh! How incredibly lucky.

Chimpanzee above - UGH I hate anything in the monkey family but what can I say, they were there so I had to take photos! They also have White Handed Gibbons there - swinging from ropes around and around and around its play area. Did you know that monkeys can't swim? So Lion Country Safari surrounded their space with a moat .... smart huh! Anyway, the chimps come from the forests and rain forests of central Africa, weigh up to 175 pounds and have a life expectancy of 60 years.

Above and below are Greater Kudus - the color is off in the photos but they are neat looking fellas - with their stripes. Kudus hale from eastern and southern Africa. They are members of the antelope family and can weigh up to 690 pounds.

Below an Asiatic Water Buffalo who can weigh up to 1 1/2 tons! Nice algae huh!?!

Ostrich with Waterbuck above, Ostrich with automobile below.

Waterbucks are from Africa south of the Sahara Desert. Males have horns, females don't. They elude predators by submerging in water up to their nostrils!

Ostrich come from African grasslands also south of the Sahara desert. They are the world's largest living birds - up to eight feet tall. The contents of ONE ostrich egg contains the equivalent of two dozen chicken eggs!

Below are Gemsbok (did I put this picture in the previous Safari post hmmmmm). Cute mask they have - do you think?

Above male lions, below females. These and the elephants are the only animals that are "caged" so to speak at the Safari. They are not in individual cages, but their large areas is fenced off and they are not allowed to roam around in the Safari where the cars drive.

A herd of water buffalo in the distance below.

We are in Jacksonville now staying at an Elks Lodge for a while - don't know for sure how long. We may be here for our entire stay in the area or we may move down the road to a Moose Lodge or a Moose Lodge down the road from Chester's in Macclenny, which is 30 or so miles west of here.

We've been here two nights, staying two nights on the way here at the second worst campground we've stayed at in our 2 1/2 years on the road - Cape Kennedy KOA Campground in Mims - 130 miles south of here. UGH, what a place at $40. night. Oh well that's part of our adventure and it sure makes you appreciate the great campgrounds even more when you come across a nasty place!