North end of South Island

Some guys have all the luck,
others watch blinking green, amber & red lights, living through a 56Kbps hookup.

While I was trying to suppress the realization that I'd
never be elected President of the USA,
the above JPEG came in from a buddy. He's one of those guys that has it made, beautiful wife, beautiful house, steady sense of purpose, plus he's in one of the coolest places on Earth.
Abel Tazman Park, New Zealand.

Taz. Anyone ever called you Taz, as in you are the Tazmanian Devil from Looney Tunes? Don't you get called that in the Spring?

Taz. President Taz just doesn't sound Presidential.
I'll never be elected President of the USA
& I'm OK with that. Maybe I'm learning to accept my fate. Maybe it's this proper afternoon cuppa I'm having, but somehow I feel fine. Telling myself it's all just a part of growing up.

Sometimes it seems that if I lived in New Zealand or Australia I wouldn't have any problems. Since I couldn't be their Prime Minister, just being there would be success enough. No need to campaign, no debates, just shake hands and smile as needed. Everything would be upside down in that crazy land of Oz.

Some guys don't know how good they have it. Some guys learn. Some guys stay oblivious for life. Some say "supersize me" to dull the hunger.

Today is the last Wednesday in April & what have we done lately other than lived through another full moon. Sun comes up. Sun goes down. Kick in caffeine!

you may find yourself living in a shotgun shack
you may find yourself in another part of the world
you may find yourself behind the wheel of a large automobile
you may find yourself in a beautiful house,
with a beautiful wife
And you may ask yourself - Well...How did I get here?

Letting the days go by / let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by / water flowing underground
Into the blue again / after the money's gone
Once in a lifetime / water flowing underground.

Same as it ever was...
Same as it ever was...
Same as it ever was...

And you may ask yourself
Where does that highway go to?
And you may ask yourself
Am I right? . . . Am I wrong?
And you may say to yourself
MY GOD! ...WHAT HAVE I DONE?

Same as it ever was...Same as it ever was...Same as it ever was...
- once in a lifetime, Talking Heads.

The Bridge is Open.

In response to your letters to the editor,
this photo can provide a pneumonic device:
This bridge is open, open to boat traffic on the intracoastal waterway.
Open like an open loop - which does not loop at all until it is a closed loop.
When the draw bridge is closed you can drive across it. If it were open you'd drive through the opening into the drink. Some people drink and drive over open draw bridges; they often drown.

These definitions apply to draw bridges. If the bridge is not a draw bridge then the terms are reversed. A closed bridge may have a "Bridge Out" sign on it if it's not a draw bridge. If it is a draw bridge then the closed draw bridge be open to autos.

Get it? Didn't mean to blow your mind.
Need another session
with Doctor Half-Explain-Everything?
Happy April 20th, 4/20.
what were you doing last year at this time?

Lunar Lilly

Hey! Look at the pretty flower photo.
My secret: digital post production.

Sure is wet in the morning when you wake up so close to the high tide. Morning dew is like a light rain this time of year.
Keeps the pollen count down, which makes a noticeable difference. Everything is green, budding, shooting up from the earth.
April Showers Bring May Flowers.
I have to say that once every year.

Sunday Afternoon on idle.

Amarylys, a bulb plant.

Baseball and golf tournaments on Sunday afternoon TV means time to rest in a lazy chair.
Also sat on the porch & chased plump bumblebees around with a flyswatter. They bore into wood and create a little sawdust pyramid below the hole. Amazing how quickly the bumblebees learn that the flyswatter is dangerous and to stay just out of reach. If I step forward a few feet they fly backward the same distance. I decided to use a water hose to shoo them, which was more fun than a flyswatter, especially since it was such a warm afternoon. As a bonus I cleaned off a lot of pollen. It's like dusty sand, it's everywhere!
Lazy day in April, guess I needed some R&R.

I am [not] a Kenyan

click photo to enlarge


The last Cooper River Bridge Run on the old bridge.
The new bridge is above-left, the old bridge will be taken down soon to allow larger ships to come further inland.

Nice race: 2 miles to the bridge, 2 miles across the bridge (up and down, then up and down, then up then down),
2 miles through the Holy City (Charleston, SC).
+ a few scenic detours to make it an official 10k (6.21 miles).

The fun began onboard the shuttle bus to the starting line.
Our driver failed to follow the other 1,000 buses,
made 3 u-turns (in a school bus), then got out her cell phone and was heard saying "where is that starting line supposed to be at?".

About 42,000 people signed up. About 18,500 runners.
Semi-official times show I was beaten by:
one 12 year old boy, 8 men over 70, and one 60 year old woman.
Rematch with that woman! She's probably 50 years old, not 60! She puts steroids in her Sanka!

Taking photos does cut into ones time . . .
yeah, it's 'cause of the photos . . .

and hey - I was very very competitive with the
"75 and over" Female category.

Official times are coming in the mail.
I accomplished these things before 9:19am:
1) I finished. 2) No injuries. 3) A good time was had by all.
Ready for another 10k, I am hooked. This time I will even train!
Peachtree Road race? Bolder Boulder? Bay to Breakers? Bridge to Bridge?

funny 'cause it's true

AP Top News 04/01/05 EST
Off the mainland coast of the Southeastern USA
March 31 - April 1, 2005

I am requesting an extension to my sabbatical.
The first 6 months went by too quickly, there is so much left to do.

Reasons (excuses) why I need an extension
by the numbers:
1. Most of the time I was on the road. I got lost in Eastern Utah and Western Colorado - I spent weeks getting back out.

2. I was the Outfitter for several excursions - that was work and took time away from my actual, official sabbatical.

3. Twice I had the flu - that shouldn't take away from my sabbatical time!

4. My head was in a cloud the whole time, too much of a good thing.
But I can see clearly now . . .

5. I don't want to die of boredom!

The extension will be requested by me, submitted to me, approved by me - but approval hinges on my being able to justify it to myself.

Justifications of why I need an extension
by the numbers:
If I extended my tour I could (in April alone):

1. Sit for the PAC 6 exam, the US Coast Guard Captains license.
Henceforth I could be addressed as "Captain" or "Skipper" and do bare boat tours and deep sea fishing trips.

2. Get a G-5 Mac with Garage Band 2 and begin serious Podcasting.

3. Help a friend get his dive boat business going.

4. Start preparations on a site for a friends eco-tourism service.

Anyone want to bet against my request for an extension being approved?

Happy April 1, 2005!
You think I'm Joking?