Hot women and beer
Why do I love Florida, Jacksonville, the Jaguars?
I don’t know, what could it be…
Note the case of Michelog Ultra (only low-carb for these ladies!) on the ground behind them, where they thought it would be hidden.
God, I miss Jacksonville…
Some Family Linkage
Since I’ve been consumed trying to turn my brothers into blog-stars and basically ignoring everything else, I figured I might take the lazy way out highlight some great posts by my increasingly-blogified family:
Da’ Wife:
The awesomest chocolate pie recipe ever.
Girls just wanna be pop-stars.
Da’ Kid:
Mustang Poem
Da’ Bruddas:
Utah vs. Michigan: I’m taking Utah and the points
Fantasy Football and College Football Picks on the Football-Pickers Radio Show
Kids sure are smart these days…
My 9-year old is teaching herself to use GIMP, and created this little animated gif for this blog on her desktop.
Can you say proud daddy?
Damn you, Jim Cantore!
Here’s a question for you: Which comes first, the hurricane or Jim Cantore?
Hmmm…..
I mean, Cantore gets there before the hurricane…. but the hurricane is already going there… If I was the governor of Florida, I’d stop that bastard at the Florida-Georgia border.
Friggin’ hurricane magnet, if you ask me…
Withlacoochee River Alliance
Ok, I’ll admit it: I’m not any great environmentalist. My attitude is mostly apathy, mostly along the lines of ‘once it’s broke, why bother to fix it?’.
Such a fatalist. Sigh.
But you know, the Withlacoochee River isn’t broke; it’s beautiful. I’ve canoed the river in Hernando County many times. Been there when it was deep and cold in the middle of winter and flipped my canoe and gear and had to build a fire along the banks to dry my clothes. Been there when it was so hot and dry that I had to portage in places. Sat beside the banks deep in the woods when life was full of drama and I just needed a time-out to sit and think.
So, I don’t know anything about the Florida Defenders of the Environment or the Withlacoochee River Alliance, I don’t know anything about their methods or fundraising or successes or failures.
But if they’re talking about preserving a river that ain’t broken yet, I’m listening.
Innocence Lost
My 9-year old is scaring me. Not only is she teaching herself to use GIMP and creating 3-D animated movies, she’s starting to check out my blogs.
Which means she could very well find her way to a nearly dormant blog with completely inappropriate content. Today, she saw the license-plate in the sidebar and popped over to imagechef to make a series of images for some of my blogs (some of which I was shocked she was even aware of), including this one.
Simple for her with imagechef, but I feel like my own innocence is lost. Now, I have to watch what I say and where I link because 9-year girls are reading.
I don’t wanna. Uh-uh. Nope.
Things to do in Huntsville, AL, which is not in Florida
Yeah, yeah, I know you don’t want to know about Alabama.
Tough. I’m in exile up here, dammit, so until someone figures out how to get me and mine back to good ole F-L-A, you gets what you gets.
So, in no particular order, here are the things we’ve done personally:
U.S. Space and Rocket Center
We have an annual membership, and have used it several times. The kids love the simulators and rock-climbing wall, and even appreciate some of the static exhibits. That surprised me, they are only 6 and 9 years old. Good stuff. Also, this is where kids can attend Space Camp, something the 9-year old is lobbying for next summer.
Cathedral Caverns
So impressive. It’s just amazing to think of what forces of nature it took to create this massive cave system. Great place to go on a hot summer day, because it is a constant 60 degrees F in the cave year-round. We were all fascinated.
Burritt on the Mountain
The kids have been begging to go back to this one. They love the animals. The mansion is impressive, but it is the grounds that my wife and I enjoyed the most. Also, they have replica buildings of farmhouses and slave cabins from the 19th century, so there is a “living history” feel to the place.
Sci-Quest Hands-on Science Center
“Hands-on” is the key, here. Nearly every single exhibit (and it felt like there were a hundred but it was probably only a couple dozen) is a learning experience for the kids (and Dad, too!). Everything from basic lessons in physics to some high-tech cool toys to play with.
Old MacDonald’s Petting Zoo
Good lord, the kids loved this place! Plenty of variety, but the most impressive thing was how clean the animals were and how well the proprietors cared for them. Every stall had clean, clear water, every animal had meat on their bones, and almost every animal was tame enough for the kids to pet. They beg to go back. It’s right on the way to Cathedral Caverns, so you can make a nice day of the trip.
Anyone from Alabama feel free to drop a note in comments about other places we ought to check out.
Yes, I’m assuming you can write. See? I’m getting better…
