Going to the boat in Okeechobee for a week of rest and 'putting Milagro into tip-top shape" .
Taking the "Go Gator" to make some run and burn short trips.
Looking forward to....Easter.....Spring days of "New Life" appearing and Sun-Fun.....
Wishing you all.....ESPECIALLY IN UTAH......Happy-Good-Life-Holidays!
Sea Yea!

Silence, Please!

Silence does have a sound….
A few young people wrote about “Listening to Quiet” in our St. Petersburg Times and it brought to my mind an assignment that I once had. While taking a Writing Class at the University of Maryland in Augsburg, Germany…we were told to sit outside on the grass…anywhere, with eyes closed or put on a blind fold…..and listen to the silence.
Next we were to write in very descriptive detail……everything we heard.
I was surprised at the myriad of sounds that emanated from that experience.
At first I could not concentrate…..for you see…even when nothing is ‘said’…A voice in our heads is talking ALL THE TIME.
THIS was the most troublesome of my experiment….
A definite effort had to be made in order to still the inside impulse to feel, think, record and explain…..everything as it was happening….
I had to…SHUT….ME….UP….first!
Once that was accomplished…with much effort….I entered another world of sound….I heard sheep with a shepherd not far away, the buzz of nearby insects, cars at a distance, a plane overhead and after a great length of time…..I could almost believe that I heard my own breathing!
What do we hear in our silence?
The sound of our surroundings…inside and out.
The outside often drowns out the inner sounds of our being.
The inside dialog of ‘self’ can prevent the sounds of the outside from being experienced therapeutically…
One little 12 yr. old girl named Casi says it best….

….Silence is the pitter-patter of rain against your roof as the love of a family’s heart surround it.
Silence is the tension in a room after someone has gotten in trouble.
Silence is the sun sneaking up over the horizon and falling under it again and again.
Silence is lightning finding its way through the clouds in a split second.
Silence is prayer helping you make your way through life.
Silence is….unexplainable.

At Ease!

These words are very familiar to those of us with a military background.
At Ease means official permission to ….RELAX….
Upon arising this morning, listening to the birds singing so majestically, and finding a spring morning’s delight……this is now my official permission to relax.
I also have two beautiful 17 and 18 year old house guests here on ‘Spring Break’. Carla and her friend Manuella from Brazil... are a breath of fresh air. Taking them to lunch….in my convertible with the top down…acting crazy….having Britt come by and talking make up, prom dresses, boys, summer vacation etc. All of this fills a soul with the pulse of vitality and good health…...and a feeling of wealth that has nothing to do with money or material goods…
The ‘girls’ give me permission to relax from the serious world of being a….sensible adult. Entering their world with them even for a moment in time….brings refreshment to my world.
Yes, being at ease with self, others, environment of the season and truly enjoying life….daily…..makes for a full, rich…..Good Life!
See pictures Link #1...2004 Begins Album….

Don’t Worry + Be Happy!

From time to time I like to pass on some of the ‘inspirational moments’ that I collect as part of my daily devotionals.
Today I would like to share this one with Y O U!!!
…..”All the discipline in the world cannot make the sun rise any earlier, or a flower more fragrant, or a smile more spontaneous.
Running five miles a day will add as much as a hundred miles of capillaries to your system, make you feel more alive, but it won’t necessarily teach you how to laugh!
You don’t have to have a plan to clap your hands.
As someone once said, “If you have to move even ten inches from where you are now in order to be happy, then you will never be truly happy.”
Within each of us lies the capacity to …..Be Happy….to Enjoy Life and to change our attitude when we can’t change the circumstances….”
Choose to…..Be Happy and Enjoy…..The Good Life…NO MATTER WHAT!!!

And Life Goes On…..

Returning to normal (whatever that is) requires a change of pace.
From fast speed….to medium…..mundane, practical living can really be a shock….I think I just have two speeds…..fast…..and stop!
When I stop…..I don’t want to go, period!
When I am going fast…..I don’t want to stop!
Woe is me…..
Now as I listen to my peaceful, flute Indian music provided by my dear friend, Sally, tranquility of the mind and soul seeps inward…..
I am at Peace……
An hour from now…..my Prayer Girls, Abby, Taina and Nancy appear at my door for our weekly dose of spiritual reality and enlightenment. ……
We enter another dimension of Peace…… as we bring our families and friends, in prayer, to…… the Prince of Peace.
All is right with our world again…..
Usually we go to lunch together….Nancy to ‘paid’ work….and Abby, Taina and I catch up on the ‘happenings’ in each others lives….
What a delight it is to have such friends of the heart….to have fun with….cry with….act silly with……and Love….
Yes, Life goes on….and on….and on…..that is what ETERNITY is all about! We have made our ‘reservations’ on planet earth….. for The Good Life….for all eternity!

Mission Accomplished!

My head is still spinning....and my equilibrium is off. I feel like I’m still on the seas, swaying right and then left, again and again...
Moving the ‘Milagro’ and “Eagle’s Nest’ about 150 miles south.....in two days, 6 locks, tops down for Railroad Bridge, Old River adventure and ‘short-cut‘.....proved to be a successful challenge.
First, we were so grounded in muck at the KRPark slip that Kurt and his Key West boat needed the assistance of Walker’s Sea Yea in order move the Milagro from the suction created by muck. Getting out into the canal took all of us....then we were on our way down river by 3:00 p.m. on Sunday.
Wind was high, again, across Lake Kissimmee but we made it through Lock S65 by Hwy. 60 and traveled about 6 more miles before stopping for the night. I had made a big pot of Seafood Gumbo with lots of fresh shrimp, which proved to be a substantial, nourishing meal for all of us. The quietness of being in a place completely surrounded by nature was a welcome relief after a hectic week at home after our ski vacation to West Virginia. Our bodies had a chance to catch up with our souls...so to speak. Except for Dockie that is.....He arrived back late Saturday from his boat delivery with Aaron and Chris and was still in limbo. Took him about two more days to feel ’normal’ again.....
Awaking to the sound of Dockie’s generator at 5:00a.m. brought us back to reality quickly...As we prepared to push off from the tree banks where we were anchored......our reverse would not engage properly.
Dockie was already ’down river’ so we radioed to ’hang loose’....work is underway. Charlie disappears into the bilge......using a flashlight since it is still dark outside....and quickly perceives his problem. It also answered his question to the ’unusual’ noise he and Dockie had diagnosed earlier.
As any boater knows......you can go from Captain to Mechanic in 5 minutes on a boat.
We arrived at the first Lock S65A by 7:00 a.m. opening time and was greeting by our lock tender friends, Gail and Dick. Dick has had a battle with cancer and is making a tremendous comeback it seems. It felt like old home week as we proceeded down river.
Dockie had discovered a ‘short-cut’ which cut quite a bit off of the old river run.....Of course, as we exited the short cut.....the signs read...”Prohibited Area”....No Boats Beyond This Point....(See pictures....Link #1.... Boating Album....for our trip also).
The water was so high that nature had created our short-cut.....where boats once were prohibited.....but Dockie & Ann had checked this area out in their little boat the previous week; therefore, we were not behaving ’fool heartedly’....for once!
For me personally, the biggest/worst challenge was to take our Bimini Tops down for the Rail Road Bridge. The stainless steel frames are so heavy once the holding pins are removed that two people have quite a terrific job in the process. That is why my dear brother, Dockie, designed, created, and hand produced a hard top with garage door springs.....to ease this process for the Eagles Nest. They had their tops lowered in five minutes while we struggled at least 30 minutes or so with ours. The bridge is so low and the water is so high at that point that our windshield just clears with inches to spare.....Actually we know.....and have been told again and again.....boats our size has no business being in that area....
Hearing that only creates a challenge for Dockie.....
But of course, THAT is another story!
Winds were high and tough....arriving at Sam and Sally’s Pier 33 dock on the river near the mouth of Lake Okeechobee in the early afternoon.....was a welcome relief. All our strength was spent by this time. Sam and Sally refreshed our hearts with laughter as we all went out to eat....
Next morning we continue on the final leg of our journey.
Having made arrangements for our previous slips at Taylor Creek with our own Tiki Hut we had built last year......we knew we would be...HOME....soon.
Lo and Behold, upon entering the harbor.....a big, huge, 53 ft. Yacht is in our slip. Dockie’s is free so he backs in and settles while we idle in the small entrance. Sissy, our friend/dock master, arrives apologizing to no end. She said the man could not come until 3:00 p.m. to move to another location she is establishing for him.....Quickly Dockie unties one of the man’s lines to give us access to the front of our Tiki Hut and Charlie backs up into what is now our ‘temporary’ slip. Works fine for now but they have a week to make the necessary changes so that we will finally be back into our ‘old home’....
With a sigh of relief.....we are happy!!!!
Mission Accomplished.....Praise The Lord!

Dear Readers.....Family and Friends
Thanks for viewing my page....
I am on a unexpected 'boat trip' and will write upon my return.
For those who are familiar to the Florida Waterways......pray for us as we travel on the 'Old Kissimmee River" between
Locks S65A and S65C.....Being in these huge boats....on this narrow, long passage and needing a 'chainsaw' in some
places.....certainly requires a Hi-R-Pwr.....
Sea Ya.....next week

Moving Again and Again???

Another decision has been made that affects our big boat home.
The Florida Water Management Division and Corps of Engineers have many projects in the works that control the lakes, canals and rivers of our Florida waterways.
Lowering Lake Toho in the Kissimmee/St.Cloud area began some time ago in order to remove muck from the bottom of the lake. This infected muck was producing hydrilla and other deterrents to the health of the lake. Of course, this has already affected our water level at our boat home on the canal of Lake Kissimmee. Yet there are two other small lake areas north of us that still yields some water to our boat area.
Now it seems that there is a proposed plan to do the same kind of muck removal and water draw down on Lake Cypress, Lake Hatchineha and possibly Lake Kissimmee. This would leave us entirely high and dry on bottom and do unlimited damage to our big 32’ Carver boats and for God knows how long......
An intelligent....quick decision was made by Capts. Charlie and Dockie of the ‘Eagles Nest’ and the ‘Milagro’ . Get out of Dodge....quickly!
Back to dear ole Taylor Creek on Lake Okeechobee.....temporarily anyway...We already had plans in motion to bring our boats around to Bahia Beach Resort Marina on the Florida West Coast for the summer.
Charlie is in the middle of replacing one of the fuel tanks and has removed the floor of the bilge for much of the maintenance needed at this point.
Now his plans have been put on ‘fast-forward’.
Like this week-end......
Dockie is in theprocess of helping to transfer our brother, Aaron’s, new boat from Ft. Lauderdale to Daytona Beach and will be on the waterways much of this week-end. Charlie, too, was supposed to go.......but the Milagro’s needs came first.
Yes, I had other plans but life is getting in the way!
Being open to change is a must!
Being resistant to quick change can be painful......but necessary at this point in our life.....
......Fleetingly I hear the voice of my Mother from long ago saying in her dear southern way, ”You know.....EVERYTHING happens for the Best!”
Will let you know....See pictures on Link#1 Boating Album for boats involved in this transfer....Anchors Away.....Railroad Bridge and All!!!

Blessed Again

Today was a busy and fruitful day...
One of my prayer partners, Abby, and her dear husband, Al, bought a new state-of-the-art computer. LCD flat screen 17in. monitor, CD and DVD Burners and players no less!
This all started with Abby getting a new digital camera.....you know the story....Old computer is toooooo slow to accommodate the new camera, photo printer etc.....Therefore, dear husband that Al is.....he decided to get a new computer saying, “I needed one anyway.”
Well guess what? Abby is ‘taking over’ his private media room completely.
Today I helped install everything and it all works wonderfully together.
Of course, it took Abby and I ALL day to accomplish our task.
We did have a phone consultation with Chad......e-mail account transfer on Outlook Express is his specialty. He walked us through everything even lost passwords for Road Runner cable....
What a blessing the new technology is when it is soooo smart that color coding and automatic installation on CD just whizzes into place.....
Our heads were spinning when Al and his ‘troops’ returned home at end of day. Showing off all the bells and whistles was Abby’s delight.
Viewing new digital pictures along with personal movies of Al’s golf swing was such fun!
All in all.....it was a Blessed Day!

Skiing at Canaan Valley Resort in West Virginia

Greetings Dear Ones:
Sure has been a long time since I’ve sit at my computer writing my web page. Have been gone for a week with family (brother Dockie & Ann) and friends, Pat and Walker, Kenneth and Patsy, Becky and Kevin and Family and other ski buddies......enjoying the snow on the slopes.
It was wonderful “Spring Skiing”. We shed our jackets early, discarded hats and gloves and had the slopes to ourselves. The temperature was 50 and 55 degrees each day. Charlie and I skied continuously...only stopping for lunch one day. The others went into Washington, D.C. for a couple of days since it was only 3 hours away...We did take one day off and traveled to the Amish Settlement in Maryland getting our cheese, jams, breads and other delights.
The deer around our lodge was always there to greet us at days end.
In addition, our breakfasts served in the lodge by our friends....Olivia and Tammy, and our gracious hostess, Anna....was part of the high lights of our trip. It seems like a ’family reunion’ when we go to Canaan Resort because we have come to know and love these beautiful people of the heart.
Our return trip took us by historic Charleston, S.C. and we were delighted by our Southern cultural experience. Made us ‘proud’ to be from the ‘ole south’!
Returning home to Tampa Bay, Florida area we found the first cool front of the week....passing through. The 40’s are predicted for tonight and tomorrow! Can’t believe it!
You can view a few ski pictures on my Link #1 ....2004 Begins album.
I did make over 200 pictures documenting our fun!
Rain, hail, sleet or snow....or sunshine....it is still A Good Life!
Enjoy yours......DAILY!!!