This weekend was one in which we’ve been hoping and waiting for, for over a year; Trevor graduation from Air Force Basic Training. Our trip started out smooth on Wednesday afternoon. Dropping off the car and waiting for our departing United flight from Orlando. Checking FlightStats.com, I saw that there was a ground delay in Houston, our connecting airport. So I predicted that our flight would be delayed. A few minutes later this proved to be the case. I checked with the desk, to ensure that we would still make our connection and was assured that it wouldn’t be a problem. Ha! Flights It turns out that everything in Houston was delayed, including our connection, so we were able to get on it with no issues, albeit late. After that connecting flight pulled back from the gate, it just sat there….for another hour…until they announced that there is an issue …keep reading …
Kayaking the Econlockhatchee River
Before the weather starts to get too hot, we want to try to take advantage of some kayaking locations we have yet to try. Today was the Little Econ River, from SR 419 to Snowhill Rd. From the map, this seems like a pretty reasonable run. Maybe eight to nine miles, but we failed to truly comprehend that this distance in a winding river, feels much longer than a more “flowing” river, like the Sante Fe. We met up with Paul and April at the Wallyworld in Titusville for supplies, then headed west on SR 50 toward Bithlo and the “Village of Taintsville” (yes, it is a real place). The put it at SR 419 is woefully lacking in the parking department. With only five or six spots total, ensure you get there early. We unloaded the kayaks, then Paul and I moved my van to the take out point …keep reading …
2015-09: St. Augustine KOA, Florida
Once a year, KOA has a BOGO night on their “Value Kamper Reward” Appreciation weekend. If you are able to take advantage of this, it alone pays for your KOA membership. This particular weekend, we decided to make it a boys getaway, with Brandon, Trevor, Dan, Donavin, and myself. This is our second time camping here, but our first in an RV. The first time, we were in tents on the East side of the campground, backed up to the commerical buildings. It wasn’t much a “camping experience”. While only a row away, our spot this time had a much better “feel” to it. The campground is compact, but, considering its location, they do a good job of making you feel like you are not camping in the middle of an oceanside community. Our first and second nights, we ate dinner at the near-by A1A Burrito Works. I had the …keep reading …
2015 Reading Challenge & My Favorite Books of the Year
Another year in the bag, completing Goodread.com’s reading challenge. While I had a goal of 50 books, I only read 40. But there were some good ones. I’m trying to work through a couple “classics” per year. During 2015, I finally read To Kill a Mockingbird and Lord of the Flies. Now I see why we are told to read these in school. Favorite Book of the Year The Martian – Andy Weir I have never recommended a book as much as I did for The Martian. If you are a geek or nerd, if you are into engineering or science, or if you just like a good Robinson Crusoe type tale, this is the winner. This is the most accurate science fiction book I’ve ever read; so much so, you half think it isn’t. The movie is going to be amazeballs. Runner Ups To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee …keep reading …
My $100 DIY PVC Kayak Rack
With our newly acquired kayak collection, storage has become an important requirement. While there are plenty of commercial solutions available, most are prohibitively expensive, difficult to use, or require large amounts of wall space. With a little digging on the net, I was able to find a relatively easy and inexpensive solution; PVC.