Fireworks and Friends

Every Friday night in the summer, there is a band and fireworks up the bay from us at Moody Gardens. I have to say we had a wonderful evening with our friends on their boat to hear the music and watch the fireworks. We missed the fireworks on July 4th so I was really happy to see them. They were really beautiful!

When we got to our spot there were quite a few boats there to enjoy the music and fireworks display. They were hooked together 2 and three boats in a group. Our friends saw people they knew so we hooked up with them. Then the Sheriff's department came by and told us to move back 300' because they were getting ready to shoot off fireworks. One of the boats tied with us fired up his motor and we slowly moved over to a safer spot, all still hooked together. We just kept inching along until we were where we needed to be.

It really was a great night. There was a full moon, close  friends, dorado seviche, jalapeno deviled eggs, cocktails, music AND fireworks. Although  it was hot out the evening breeze made for a very comfortable night out on the water.

Even though the boat was rocking from the movement of the the waves, Rod managed to take some pretty darn good shots of the display. I put them into a movie for you to see but after uploading them to Picasa Web Album its a lot more grainy than it is when I play it directly off my computer. Oh well. If any of you know what I did wrong, please chime in. This was my first attempt at making a movie in Picasa.

Enjoy the show anyway! :)  (click on it)

We enjoyed Friday night so much. Thank you Louie and Jeanne! :) BUT, it wasn't without incident. When we arrived back at our friends house and pulled into the boat slip, Rod got a little wet. HAHAHA As he was departing the boat, he grabbed the piling, legs stretched out between the boat and the dock and his hand slipped. Down he went between the boat and the bulkhead. He wasn't hurt, well maybe his pride a little bit. ;) I knew he couldn't do the splits and when I calculated the distance and the length of his legs in my head, I shouted "he's going in." It wasn't but a few seconds later that his hand slipped and the boat moved further away from the dock and BAM! There went Rod, wallet, iPhone, keys, glasses, etc. He fell in a sitting position so I grabbed his shirt to pull him up. It was then that our friend said "STAND UP", LOL when he did the water was just above his waist. We really didn't know the depth of the water off his dock, but we do now. We generally bring our own entertainment with us, but its usually me. Thank you Rod for taking the pressure off me. :)

Take care, have a great day no matter what you're doing.

Connie

A Little Boat Trip

Saturday we had the kids down for some fish tacos.  Connie figured she messed up by thawing too much fish.  WRONG!! By the time I went to get seconds they were all gone.  You've got to be fast if this crowd likes something.

After we ate we decided to take a sunset cruise.  These cruises are something I'm going to miss when we sell this place.  It takes about ten minutes to get the boat lowered, loaded, and ready then we head out into the bay.  No trailer to fool with and no boat launch follies to entertain whomever is at the ramp.

We rode around the bay for a little while and then shut the motor off and drifted.  There was still a couple of hours of daylight left but off in the distance there were thunderstorms and showers all around us.  I had brought the camera anticipating some interesting shots as the sun went down.

The kids tried fishing with lures.  I didn't figure they would have any luck and it turned out I was right but they seemed to have fun anyway. 

Chase always is aware of the camera

Megan trying to catch "THE BIG ONE!"

We all talked and laughed and were having a great time.  I took some pictures and then Chase took some.  He really has a good eye for it and with a little practice will be a much better photographer than I could ever dream of being.  Here's a few of the shots we took.....

Dana trying his luck

Jackie looking beautiful as always

Chase took this.  I thought it was interesting.

Chase took a few of me and his mom.

I like this one of mother and daughter.  I converted it to B&W with Picasa.

Jackie & Dana got a little crazy with their poses

The happy couple

The whole family

Chase caught this frigate bird taking off

Storm clouds rolling in but the suns still trying to shine on Jamaica Beach

Out-running the rain

No worries here....

because her brother's driving

We made it home without getting wet.  Jackie and Dana went home and we had the added fun of keeping the kids overnight.  Sunday we took them fishing but it didn't last long because thunder and lightning started about a half hour after we anchored.  We'll get 'em next time.

Adios for now, enjoy the day.
--Rod

Introducing Scooter

The tide finally went down enough during the night Thursday that we were able to get to work on Friday.  My boss was very understanding and didn't charge me for vacation on Thursday.  We've been flooded in on a few occasions over the years and he has been real good about it.  He also has allowed us islanders time to prepare our homes when a hurricane is threatening.  Thanks Mike.

 We have an area next to the house that gets mostly shade so grass doesn't grow there very well.  Weeds on the other hand seem to thrive.  It also turns into a mud hole during rains and allows runoff to erode the concrete slab under the house.  It's a convenient spot  for me to store left over construction material that I'll never use but am too cheap to throw out.  My intention has always been to pour a slab there and keep my smoker on it.  It's one of those things that never seems to get done and with our current plan to sell the house never will.

Last weekend Connie suggested that we use the leftover pavers from our courtyard to pave it.  Seemed like a good idea so I agreed.  On Sunday I used my small tiller to break the dirt up and remove the excess.  We didn't have any sand to make it real level like we should have but did the best we could.  Connie placed the pavers until she ran out.  It was enough to cover the worst area directly behind the bulkhead cap.

We decided to turn the remaining section into a planter for shade loving leafy plants which would fill in and make it a little prettier to look at from the canal side of the house.  Yesterday we went to Lowe's and picked up some plants.  When we got home I tilled the area and placed a border built from leftovers I had saved.

Prior to doing that I had to move several pieces of soapstone which we had leftover from our kitchen remodel.  I made the fabricator save the scraps because we were planning on using them for counter tops when we remodel the bathrooms.  The stuff is from Brazil and is very expensive.  It more than doubled the amount in my construction budget for counter tops.  The soapstone is 1 1/8" thick and very heavy.  That's where I got in trouble. By last night my back was getting stiff.  Today it's killing me.  I'll be OK in a couple of days but I'm not putting any mulch down today that's for sure.  Connie has put the plants in and other than mulching this project is finished.

That Sago Palm on the left was flooded by Hurricane Ike and we thought it was dead.  After almost two years it is starting to sprout fronds again. 

Here's a shot of the soapstone counter top on our kitchen island.  The bubbles are a result of something on the camera lens.

Now let's talk about Scooter.  He's a Russian Tortoise that belongs to Chase.  He lives at our house because Chase already has several terrariums housing various types of lizards in his room.  When he wanted the tortoise his mom said NO!  Instead of giving up he went to Plan B which was to ask us.  After a little convincing and getting Jackie's permission we agreed to keep him at our house.

The main difference between tortoises and turtles is that turtles spend most of their lives in water while tortoises spend it mostly on land.  Russian tortoises are native to Afghanistan.  Scooter was hatched in America but his full name is Scooter The Taliban Tortoise. 

Chase and I constructed Scooter's pen complete with indoor and outdoor desert landscaping to make him feel at home. He has a pool made from a paint roller tray, lots of sand, rocks and pieces of limbs to climb on.

The top is hinged and the whole thing opens with the rope.  The roofed section has a wall dividing it from the rest of the pen with a doorway cutout so he can come and go as he pleases.  The screen is to protect him from predators.

Scooter making his way across the lawn.  I still haven't got my lawnmower back as you can see.

I never would have believed a tortoise could have a personality but Scooter does.  He comes running when we approach his pen and seems to enjoy being held and talked to.  Sam scares the heck out of him though.  He eats a handful of organic greens a day and consumes it all at one time.  We treat him with one hibiscus flower a day.  It's like tortoise crack.  He devours it as fast as he can.

I think I'll go lay on the couch for a while so.......
Adios for now, enjoy the day.
--Rod

Waiting For The Tide To Turn...

We have had high tides since last Wednesday as a result of Hurricane Alex.  They were slowly getting back to normal until yesterday.  There is a lot of disturbed atmosphere due to the low that is going ashore this morning in the southern Gulf of Mexico.  That has pushed more water into our corner of the Gulf and we have high tides once again. 

Our street is high and dry but the street which connects ours to the main road is lower and is susceptible to flooding at high tide.  This morning we woke to a tide elevation of about 4.5 ft.  That is 3.5 feet above our normal high tide.  We are flooded in until the tide drops a little.  I expect it to go down later this morning when we will be able to get out without driving through salt water.  I took this picture at the end of our street with my iPhone.

That's Sam at the right looking for a potty spot.

I picked up my mower from the repair shop on Wednesday last week.  I called and cancelled the lawn service in anticipation of being able to start my own mowing again. Boy I hated to make that call.  It rained from Wednesday to midday Saturday.  I didn't try the mower until Monday when things had dried out a little.  It fired right up but quit after about 20 seconds.  I tried it twice more with the same results then it wouldn't start at all.  It's back at the shop where it will hopefully be fixed right this time.  The funny thing was it ran great at the shop when I picked it up.

I mentioned in the last blog our water lines in the trailer have been getting plugged.  We didn't have anything planned last weekend so I messed around trying to get them cleared out most of Saturday and Sunday.  I was able to finally get water flowing through all of the faucets and found the source of my problems.  There is an anode in the water heater that protects the tank from corrosion.  This anode was about shot and the accumulated buildup was breaking free as we drove down the road.  The stuff was working its way into the lines.  I flushed the tank for about 20 to 30 minutes and couldn't believe how much crap came out of it.  From now on when we return home from a trip I will be draining the tank.  I ordered a new anode and check valve the other day.  We should be as good as new in a week or so when the parts get here.  As a note to you RVers they told me that anode should be changed at least annually so add it to your check list.

We did go to the kids house late Saturday afternoon.  Dana had ordered the Ultimate Fighting match on pay per view and was cooking fajitas.  The usual gang was there along with some new folks that Dana & Jackie had met through Megan's softball team. 

We ate lots of good food, drank some adult beverages to prevent dehydration in the heat and had a great time as we always do at their house.  Chase had a minor mishap by slipping on the rocks at the edge of the pool and scrapping his back but he'll live to swim  again.  I bet it was sore the next day though. 

Maybe I shouldn't bet since I lost $20 betting on fighters.  Every one I picked lost.  I did about as good as Rick from http://rickpaulettervjournal.blogspot.com did picking World Cup winners.  He and I should get together, pool our money, pick a sporting event contestant and bet on their opponent.  We'll clean up.

This weather system has brought us some 30 MPH winds and heavy showers.  Last night I took these pictures from our deck.  The seagulls seemed to know some weather was coming.

I better go check the tide level.  Work is waiting.

Adios for now, enjoy the day.

--Rod