Time Stands Still

I knew I wouldn't have much to say this week, while Jim is in Oregon and I'm here in Fort Lauderdale. But it feels so unnatural not to post to the weblog. Like time is standing still. Days don't go by if I don't write about them! I talk and instant message to Jim every day. He says that the number of WiFi users at the Great North American RV Rally has increased significantly since last year. The space provided for the hotspot is a lot bigger than it was last year, yet people have filled every chair and are sitting all over the floor with their laptops. Most people have newer computers too, so there are not so many of them needing help to connect. With the newer systems - you just turn it on and it works! Jim also presented the 'Get Away, Stay Connected' seminar for Coach Connect. He said there were at least 250 people in the audience. A little different than the 6-10 people we're accustomed to at the RV parks! I've been going to business group meetings and socials. I even got up for a 7am Toastmasters meeting this morning and volunteered to do a speech next week. hmmmm, what should I talk about? Had happy hour with old friends last night. And another friend will be coming by my place tonight. I've been visiting with my Mom - we're going to go over some lessons on Moviemaker this afternoon. I've set a goal to help her figure out how to get clips of her underwater video onto her website. Gotta get that done before we take off again! Here's home for this month. See those kayaks? They're ready. Hurry home Jim so we can go divin'!

Dennis Blew By

Hurricane Dennis didn't hit southeast Florida. But it threatened the west coast just enough to keep Lynne and John here a couple more days. Awwwwww - darn! For not 'hitting' us though, we still got our share of wind and rain. The winds buffeted the coach all night and rocked us to sleep! By the time it hit the Florida panhandle it was a major category 4 storm, but all accounts are that it didn't do the damage that Ivan did last year. On Sunday I took Jim to the airport at 6am. He's off to Redmond, Oregon for the Great North American RV Rally where he'll be operating the WiFi hotspot for Coach Connect. It sure feels funny to be in the RV alone. I am getting some really good work done tho. I used to like living alone so much. It's still a nice change, but I feel a little out-of-sorts. I'll bet he really feels funny tho. We are SO accustomed now to having our entire home wherever we are. You never have to think about packing when you take your house - and the kitchen sink - with you everywhere you go! As long as he has his computer and an Internet connection - he'll be fine.

The Cosmic Muffin

We tried to go Kayak diving on Wednesday morning, but the wind was a little too strong, so we kayaked around the canals of Fort Lauderdale instead. Very easy paddling and lots to see with all the yachts and other boats, the fabulous waterfront homes and landscaping. Lynne took a disposable water-resistant camera and the photos were developed and put on CD today. I should probably refrain from using them here and just let Lynne post them on her blog .... ... thinking ... naaaah Here's John paddling. Here's me and Jim: Now, for the high point. You see, Lynne and John call their motorhome the 'Cosmic Muffin'. It is their 'Rocketship to the Stars'. The original Cosmic Muffin comes from Jimmy Buffet's book 'Joe Merchant'. The character called Desdemona was contacted by interplanetary aliens and she used the converted Howard Hughes aircraft as her Rocket Ship. I found a great article with the whole story here. And here's the lyrics to "Desdemona's Building a RocketShip". The converted Howard Hughes Boeing 307 Stratoliner is actually for real. And it is docked in Fort Lauderdale. So, that's where we paddled! You can visit the owner's website here. Lynne, John and the Cosmic Muffin 1. Lynne's Rocketship to the Stars?! What a spectacular day!

Fireworks by Kayak

THANK YOU Sean! Thank you for having a home right on the beach and inviting us to join your July 4th party so we could paddle our kayaks to Deerfield Pier and watch the show. I don't have any photos because I figured that beach sand and sea water probably would not be good for my camera. But, take my word for it, paddling out into the ocean on a warm Florida night is a sensual experience. This is the third time we've done this on the fourth of July and it is so heartwarming to see those fabulous fireworks that they set off for our anniversary! Here's a photo that Lynne took of us. 7 years ago today we got married. My Mom paddled with us as well as Lynne and John. We even saw dolphin surfacing less than 100 yards away! We had the best viewing position possible. The crowds on the beach were to our left, the dozens of party boats were to our right, and the fireworks were being set off from the pier in front of us, vibrating our innards when they exploded directly overhead! The wind was blowing a little, which meant that we got some real exercise paddling back to our starting point. Cool. Doubly cool that we get to share this with Mom and our RVing friends! Lynne and John are parked right next door. We get to have dinner together with no more preparation than us walking next door with our plates!

Kayuba!

Our Kayak Diving club - Kayuba - had it's July 4 picnic today. (yeah, I know it's July 3 - so we get to go to another July 4 party tomorrow!) First I gotta show you a photo from the night before with a beautiful sky. This is a view from our campsite at Easterlin Park. Ok, so, here's this morning's gathering: A view from the picnic spot looking north shows that we're right beside Port Everglades. Kayaks and cruise ships sharing the same ocean. And snakes, picnicers and kayakers sharing the same beach! What was SO exciting to us, other than any opportunity to go Kayak diving, was the fact that our RVing friends Lynne and John are visiting. They got scuba certified last year in the springs of northern Florida, so this will be their first time in the ocean - let alone diving from a kayak! They're Ready! Here's the 4 of us paddling out. Y'know, this is just another kind of RV (recreational vehicle). As it turned out, I had a minor equipment malfunction (blown o-ring) so, I ended up snorkeling and we had to stay in pretty shallow water. Lynne and John did great - like they were the 25 year pros and I was the novice. The water was calm and warm and the sunshine was beautiful, just paddling and swimming was great. But, we hope to take them to the real 'Kayuba Reef' on Tuesday to see some real diving with corals and fish and eels more pretty stuff. *Thanx to Mom and Emily for for taking some of the above photos with my camera while I was out paddling.*