Standing By to Stand By

I've made at least five different lists of items I need to load in our car.  I bet about half way to the Gulf I'll slap my forehead, sure to have forgotten, something.

Our vacation begins tomorrow. A week of rest and good food and books await. I might even wet a line. Then again why let a little fish interrupt a nice nap.

Now if you'll excuse me I have gear to load.

Stephen

As Evening Approaches

We strolled and ordered pizza and took a long walk and admired the locals and flowers and I snapped a couple of pictures and it was good.

Above - the news on our arrival.

Hemingway at work.

Across from our condo - the old and now abandoned Captain's Table restaurant...a sure sign of the times.

My day in a simple picture.

She went and shopped...asked my opinion and of course I liked it.

For kymber. A variety of Hibiscus not familiar to us...and here's another....

Sweet Wife really likes this variety, said, "It's a really neat one."

Above, this is a famous landmark here on Cedar Key. It's called the Honeymoon Cottage. We've watched it deteriorate for close to twenty-nine years....I don't believe it was ever used as a 'honey moon' cottage. I think its just an old fishing shake the locals used as a tourist gimmick and the local artist jumped on the band wagon and have painted it to death. I still remember when the walls stood tight and straight.

******

 For my friend, lotta joy. We stay at The Island Place. This is a group of privately owned condos for either purchase or rent. As far as I know only two are presently on the market. All are open to rent on either a daily or weekly basis, if not in current use by the owners. I highly recommend the Island Place. Each unit has a kitchen and most can accommodate two to three adults and a couple of rug rats. Each unit has a kitchen, normally fully equipped, a small washer and dryer, dish washer, television (if you insist on the distraction) and a land-line telephone. The office transmits a wi/fi signal, but don't depend on it. Cell phone service is very irregular. Cedar Key is located at the end of a chain of small islands connected by a causeway. It's a long way from any major town or city.

Most  visitors to Cedar Key walk. Many use golf carts. If you must drive and waste gas it'll be a short trip. Many of the local tourist traps have gone out of business. This depression has really been felt here in this small fishing village. There are two or three very fine restaurants, and one really great pizza joint.  There is but one grocery store on the island...its called, The Grocery Store. Prices are high. They do stock a fine selection of wines and other silly high end items. Shop inland and use a cooler for your milk and other perishables. Trust me.

The locals are friendly and helpful. They know on which side their breads buttered. Other than tourists the main money maker for these good folks are clams. Fresh clams can be purchased in several places along with smoked mullet and dip.

There are consignment shops and dress shops and other silly tourist clap-trap to wear you out if you can't read and relax. There is a fine world class fishing pier for the man of your life.

You may contact The Island Place at 352-543-5307. Ask for 'Gulf Side' condos. You'll want to see the water. Ask for condo 109, 108 or 107. Any above those are fine too. They also have a web site...just Google it. Reservations are highly recommended.

Stephen

Island Time

I again must make this as quick as possible. My connection to the Internet here is tenuous - fleeting as the wind and I never know how long I'll have to work. So, I shall make an attempt to post pictures while I have the time, and if the God's allow, write a few words.

I'll try and answer your comments, too, but if you don't find an answer please understand I shall reply as soon as we arrive back on the mainland.

My friends, meet Hemingway. Hemingway is a six-toed cat, a direct descendant of the writer Hemingway's family of cats born in Key West. Our cat Hemingway lives here at the condo. He refuses to leave and while we're away is cared for by the buildings staff. He's coal black, and if you look carefully at his front feet you'll notice his sixth toe...see the right front foot under his belly. When we arrived he came in, jumped into my lap and gave me a good rub down. Then to Sweet Wife. He's a very nice old cat. About seven years old. He's eaten one bag of food since we arrived...just eats and sleeps. He has many friends....

Hemingway's friends arrive not long after chow is provided.

Random shots of the condo...

My office. Cover shirt in foreground.

The Storm. Notice the leading edge of the clouds, the roll. This shot is to the south and west. Its headed our way. Mere moments after I took the shot lightning forked. Wish I'd caught it on film...

View from our deck.

Another, the waters edge.

My Sweet Wife reading the menu for her birthday dinner. We had a fine meal. The chief is a three time world champion for his clam chowder.

Enough pictures. I have three novels to read and my time is limited. We made a stop on the way here and I got carried away and bought three John Sanford Prey novels. I somehow missed the last three and this weekend hope to correct my oversight. 

As I glance out I see the clouds are gray, the winds light. At the moment, life is good. Sweet Wife just left for an afternoon of shop browsing....Lord help me. So, please excuse me while I make another pot of coffee and return to the deck with my book.

Take care.

Stephen

We're Here

Reception for cell and wi/fi is extremely spotty...this will be short.

We have arrived at the condo on the Gulf and all is well. Just back from Sweet Wife's birthday dinner.

Here, I hope are a few photos.

Above, a view from our condo. The deck and water.

And, that's it. Can't get the rest to download due to this very weird wi/fi service....

Anyhow, I'll try again tomorrow.

Stephen

Bits & Pieces

Beautiful day here....warm, light winds. Tropical storm dinking around out in the Gulf. As with all things in life if you want to make God laugh tell him your plans. We have a long weekend planned at Cedar Key. We leave tomorrow morning. What the heck, rainy days make for fine reading.

Tomorrow is Sweet Wife's birthday. She'll be twenty-five. (I bet she smiles if she reads this post.) Anyhow, a few days later we celebrate our anniversary. This weekend is my gift to her. She needs a break from her routine. It's been a rough year and her tears have left tracks on her cheeks which will take years erase.

I will post from Cedar Key between nap sessions. It'll be the first trip in many years without our Little Bit. She'll be missed.

******

Last weekend I joined my friends for a day out at our Boar's Nest. Spent some time on the range. The little (and very heavy) Detonics Pocket 9 functioned flawlessly. I'd been told she would have an awful recoil, a hurt your hand kick. Bullhockey. Her weight absorbed and she fired like a dream. I like her. She'll now replace my backup carry piece in my satchel.

I did order a spare magazine for her which are as rare as hen's teeth. Took me a while to find one but finally came across a little shop out in Kalifornia. Place called Gunclip Depot.. The final tally was a wee bit over forty dollars. Hate it when people refer to a magazine as a 'clip.' If you think you're a member of the gun culture and walk around calling a magazine a 'clip,' go buy a pair of clogs and walk a poodle......

I also wrung out my new to me Para P-12 .45. Again, flawless performance and quite accurate. Not a single hiccup.  Well worth the money paid. I love a good gun deal.

Isn't she pretty....

*****

A few days ago my good friend, Duke, came by the shop and gave me a gift of a bag of his fresh homegrown tomatoes. Most of the bag held yellow tomatoes. Sweet, with a sharp fresh acid taste....remember the tomatoes your grandparents grew in their backyards...yeah, that kind. I took the yellow tomatoes and made a big salad last evening. So good. Thanks, Bubba.

I still have a few left over and hope to pack them down to Cedar Key. They're too good to waste and I'm the kind of fella that enjoys a good tomato with nothing more than a shaker of salt.

*****

Business is slow this morning. Excuse me while I jerk another cup of coffee.

*****

I took a walk this morning. Must have been around three. I have many sleepless nights of late. Anyhow, I eased down to the river and walked out to the edge of my neighbors dock and listened to the crickets and a school of mullet flip and flop from the water. I stood there, hands in pockets, for close to twenty minutes then slowly walked back and took a seat on our front porch and listened to an old owl sing a haunted song until the light of dawn.

When you hear of people speak of lonely it's not easy to relate. I believe I understand, now. Sometimes lonely hasn't a cure. It can become a permanent part of ones life. As of yesterday I'm sure my loneliness became fixed, branded on my soul.

Within the next few weeks I shall make a decision. Is life worth living without a heart....or should I simply thank God for what I have and toughen my soul with the loss and plug forward empty of happiness.

I'm weary.

P.S., Sweet Wife will be 'over' fifty tomorrow. The twenty-five was a joke....

Stephen

Whupped

This morning I arrived at work early, too early, but then I'm poor and do silly things like open before sunrise. Fifteen minutes later the phone rings and it's Sweet Wife on the other end. I said, "What's up?"

"Come home."

"Why?" A long pause on the other end of the line, then, "Because."

I don't take orders. She repeated her, "Because."  This, isn't good. I tried again, "Honey," (Sweet talk don't 'ya know) Why, pray tell, do you want me to come home?"

She lets out with a long sigh, "Because - we need to drive down to St. Augustine. You, my dear husband, need clothes."

Just kill me now.

I closed the shop. What the heck, I needed a weekend off. After a couple of hours we arrived at the local Gander Mountain. Hey, if I must shop for clothes it will be in a man's world. Period.

Inside Sweet Wife takes me by the hand and leads me to the men's footwear department. She selects a pair of boots for me. She's like that, she decides and I say yes and place the items in the cart. No if, ands, and buts about it, she selects the articles - I just pay for them. She did grant me permission to select the brand I normally wear. I mentioned how kind it was of her. She smiled.

Then it's time for sandals. I insist on the most masculine pair I can find. She smiled and said, "Fine."

Then, socks. Six new pair. I only wear Merino Wool...she approved. See, I get my way when I put forth effort. But, she's like that too. She lets me win a few.

She takes the cart and heads further into the store. I allowed as how I was taking control and needed to check out the firearms department. She gave me ten minutes with further instructions to meet her in the men's clothing department. I said, "Yes, dear." I showed her who was boss.

They had 'purty' guns, too. Even had ammo boxes on sale, for twelve bucks. She said to put them back. Explained how the dirt on the boxes might mess up her/my new trousers and shirts.

Then, I noticed three pair of boy shorts in the cart....shorts. You know, those pants they've taken and whacked off just below the knees. The things metro-sexuals tend to wear around town. Three pair. I did notice they were 5.11's. Had 'tactical' stitched on the rear....tactical for Pete's sake....olive drab, navy blue, and khaki 5.11 shorts. Who knew, and she had them in the cart.

She had also chosen, with my permission, two  5.11 shirts. One even had the brand printed on the front, black no less. She said I'd like them. She's sly she is, she tells me what I'll like and what color I should wear. Said it makes me look, manly.

I grunted. Tim Allen has nothing on me...

The monkey cart now held, one pair of boots, sandals, three pair of shorts tactical boy things, six pair of socks, two shirts. She then shoved me towards the trousers. Sweet Wife said one of my favorite set of pants had a hole worn where my spare magazine clipped onto my belt. Tacky, she said. You need new ones. She's like that too, tells me when I should purchase new trousers.

At least she allowed me to stick with the 5.11's. Waste size 36. I insisted I knew my own waist size. She argued. Said you've lost weight and you should drop down one size to a 34. I said no...she took them from my hand and replaced them. Women, they just don't know when to give in to a man's superior intellect. I showed her. (Later, at home, the size 34 did indeed fit.)

Asked, please, may I have that nice black piece of 5.11 luggage. It was a cool bag. Thought, what would it hurt to ask...she said, "No."
 
So I showed her and replaced the silly green 5.11 belt she'd thrown in the cart to wear with my cool tactical new boy scout shorts. Thin darn thing wouldn't even hold up under the weight of my Glock if you'd begged it. Stupid nylon junk.

Later, while I placed all of Sweet Wife's items before the check out boy, the belt magically appeared and I paid fifteen bucks for it.  She's sneaky as all get out. I gave her the eye. Then told her I'd never wear the darn baby girlie-boy belt.

She just smiled.

Then said, "Sure you will, next month on my birthday we're driving down to Cedar Key for a long weekend. It's your gift to me."

We'll see.

Stephen

5.11 hasn't paid me one single nickel for my wonderful endorsement of their products. If they choose to do so, please email and I'll send you my mailing address. I'm poor and will accept any payoff or bribe you offer. I prefer gold or silver bullion. Thank you.

Morning

Good morning, dear readers, it's early here and the skies are heavy and gray and you can almost feel the storms building way out there in the Gulf waters. I'll leave you with a bit of the artistic influenced road signs left here by the influx of college students out of Gainesville's University of Florida.  

And here's a garden I found in the center of 'downtown' Cedar Key. Nice corn with tomatoes mixed in between.

 Now, for my new North Texas buddy, here's that fish I promised. Fought him all day....