Long Time No Blog!

It sure has been a while since I've paid any attention to my blog. Life happens so quickly it's hard to keep up with it all. So what's happened since May? Bill and I seperated and reconciled. Nikki turned 17 and Jordy turned 13 in June. Nikole moved in with her dad in July. Shyenne turned 13 in August. Shy and Jordy got baptised by their Poppy, who is now a licensed minister. We rode with the Defenders to Weeki Watchee Springs in September. The club had a BBQ in October. John and Carolina and both grandkids also moved in with us in October. That makes 4 adults, 4 kids, 3 dogs and 11 cats all in a 3 bedroom single wide. Yes Sir...I live in a ZOO! (Anyone need a kitten or 2?) Sophia turned 4 and Sebastian turned 3. We conquered Bill's big fear and rode the bike over the Skyway Bridge. Hit a HUGE pothole in Tampa and almost laid the bike down. We survived Thanksgiving with the whole Fam Damily including our adopted boys Chris and Mike. Now it's time to try for some Christmas Spirit!

A Geocaching Day!

Shy and I had a great day out geocaching with WizardNco in Nokomis, Laurel and Venice. Our first target advertised that it required a "spindly 12 year old" and Wormie fit the bill. Check Out Girlz Rule #2 cache. Dragon found Down by the bay but couldn't reach it...LOL! I had the opportunity to "multi-task" and visited and logged waymarks along the way. The "Just Ducky" amphibious vehicle was too cool to pass up! It's actually a Vietnam Era LARC-V. We found a total of 11 caches and then took time for a swim at Venice Beach.

Let's hear some eclectic music!

I finally figured out how to get music on my Blog! I'm so proud of myself! I've actually got music on my blog and both the girls' blogs. I Used Playlist.com. It's a free account and they gave me the HTML code to embed. Hell, You'd think I knew what I was doing...NOT! Now you never quite know what you might hear here. HERE! HERE!

Three More Lucky Sevens

All 3 were approved today! Gasparilla Island #2, Uncle Remus Museum and Centennial Park. This is by far one of my favorite categories and I Love the challenge of trying to find 7 waymarks in a 1/2 mile radius. My highest tally so far is 22 for the Lucky 7 at Lee Memorial Hospital. 11 waymarks in 1/10 of a mile.

Uncle Remus Museum

Uncle Remus Museum was approved as a Literary Site and has been posted as a Lucky 7! I'm so excited! I was concerned about the literary site since the group has only one active officer. At the time of the posting he hadn't signed on for 3 weeks. I've contacted him about trying to breathe some new life into this category, but have gotten no response. I'm finally caught up on all my backlog from vacation and everywhere we've been since we got home! Time to go exploring again! WooHoo!

Where's Waldo? A Lucky 7 in a tiny town.

On our way up to South Carolina, we pulled into this tiny little town in search of a park to stop at for lunch. We were pleasantly suprised to find a nice a park to with a great Veterans Memorial, A Caboose and a Lucky 7. We had a quick lunch and then visited the Memorial and the caboose and visited and created some waymarks. If you visit here mind your speed. The city has received national attention and earned the ominous distinction of being one of only two official speed traps designated by the American Automobile Association, due to the strict enforcement of the local speed limit on U.S. Route 301 as it cuts through town.

Uncle Remus Museum - Eatonton, GA

These photos were seen in the Flickr group Waymarking
- The online Scavenger Hunt.

I just posted about 10 waymarks from The Uncle Remus Museum in Eatonton, GA. We rolled past here on our way home from South Carolina. (I think I'm finally caught up on the back-log) Bill was kind and turned around to stop when he saw my excitement. When I was a little girl, about 4 or 5, my grandmother read these stories to me. She read them Over and Over, because I loved them so! After stopping here on the way home from vacation, I looked at these books through an adult readers eyes. Because of the unique use of dialect, they are difficult reading. (for me anyway.) I've always read to my kids, but never these stories. Sad, I'm not sure why...Of 4 kids we have one that reads like we do. It's time to turn her on to these stories. She won't let me read to her anymore, now we read together side by side and then talk about what we've read. Hey! Maybe I can get her to read them to me....again! I've also learned alot about the Disney movie "Song of the South" that was inspired by Joel Chandler Harris' books. Produced in 1946, the film received an Oscar for Best Song. ("Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah") The film and its songs provided the inspiration for the Splash Mountain attractions in the Disney Theme Parks.
This motion picture hasn't been seen in theaters in over 20 years, and remains unavailable for general sale in the U.S. and Canada in ANY format. The film is considered controversial and not "Politically Correct." So...I found a place to order a copy of the movie online, and it arrived yesterday. I guess I just don't see things the same way as Snopes or NAACP. For the life of me I can't see what's so not PC about it. I enjoyed the movie as a kid and still enjoy it today.

Moody Spring - Oconee County, SC

Wow! This one was a challenge! There are only 4 sites online that give only a brief mention to this little Spring. One tells a ghost story about a "rider" who is picked up along Hwy 107 and asks to be dropped off here. Another is a guide book called Scenic Driving South Carolina, that wrongly states that this is an artesian well. It also says there is a picnic area here. IT IS INCORRECT! IT IS A SPRING and there is NO PICNIC AREA. The original submission for this waymark was declined for lack of information and based on the misinformed guide book. I was frustrated because to my way of thinking, If it was a well they would have named it "Moody Well." I ended up contacting a Mr. Mitchell at the SC Dept. of Natural Resources for information. I hit the jack-pot! This gentleman has conducted a state wide Spring survey that included Moody Spring. He was more then willing to help and gave me information about the flow rate as well. Moody Spring is now an approved waymark! Thanks Mr. Mitchell! We stopped here while we were in SC on vacation. It was part of our "Caravan Tour"

Woo Hoo! I Rolled a Lucky 7 on Boca Grande

Wayne-Gordon House

I'm so excited to have been able to waymark the Wayne-Gordon House in Savannah. When we visited, "The Birthplace" was already marked in several other categories. I visited those and moved on. Then I ran into a ghost story about the property and was able to post the house and it's story in the ghosts and hauntings category. What A Thrill for this Girl Scout!

Caesar's Head State Park

Caesar's Head State Park includes this amazing overlook of the Blue Ridge Escarpment. I was able to visit and post waymarks here and log my first Earth Cache! I've been after that icon for quite awhile! Visit The Earth Cache Blue Ridge Escarpment. Bill and the kids took the stairs down into Devil's Kitchen while Uncle Kim and I took the back way in. You can view the whole area and get an upclose view with the coin operated binoculars. Our Florida flatland kids were so fascinated by the mountains! It was fun to watch them take in the sights and hear the Oohs and Ahhs!

Issaqueena Falls - Walhalla, SC

This beautiful waterfall is located at The Stumphouse Tunnel Complex in Walhalla, SC. It was the second stop on our "Caravan Tour." Thank you Lisa for leading the way! There is a trail that goes all the way down to the base of the falls but since we'd been beating Kim up for several days already, we decided not to try it.

Pole Dance - One of the best emails EVER!

Since I'm playing around in the video folder, I ran across this video that Bill got from one of the guys in his bike club. I almost fell out of my chair laughing! This is one of the best emails I ever recieved!

Un-Official Family Reunion

This is the video that we have put together of pictures from "The Gathering" in South Carolina. We had a great time waymarking and sightseeing, but this is the real reason we went up. Please post a comment and let us know what you think. Once it's finished there will be CD copies in the mail for everyone!

Stumphouse Tunnel - Walhalla, SC

"Caravan Day!" We loaded 18 people in 3 vehicles, with kids over 15 in the back of the pick-up and Bill on the bike and went sightseeing up around Walhalla, SC. Randy and Uncle Kim had fun checking out the bats inside the tunnel and Randy got some great pictures. I got to visit the waymarks here and learn a bit about the history of this really cool place.

A Family Affair

It was great to see all of Bill's Aunts and Uncles together for Easter. The only 1 of the 7 siblings that didn't make it was Uncle Ron. By the time you add in the nieces, nephews and cousins, they'e a huge bunch! It took me all week to remember everyones names.

Clemson Experimental Forest - Issaqueena Lake

We rode through the experimental forest http://www.clemson.edu/cafls/departments/forestry/cef/ and had a great time taking in the sights and learning about the forest. The Clemson Experimental Forest's 17,500 acres are dedicated to education, research and demonstration in order to better understand and manage forest resources for the benefit of society. I got to visit a few waymarks here and the kids had fun taking turns riding with Uncle Kim.

Bald Rock

This place made me very sad. Such a beautiful location destroyed by kids with spray paint cans. The "Bald" rock face is covered with graffiti. In Scouting we teach "Leave No Trace" for this very reason. I know that there are waymarking categories for graffiti and recent discussion in the forums about a category for "Initial Trees" I personally don't support either and see it as vandalism rather then art. We did have a nice time taking in the views.

Sleeping Arrangements

I can't resist putting this sign on here. Our clan took the upstairs bedrooms. We all know who slept here and had a great time ribbing him about it. You had to be there!

Central, SC

On Wednesday, Uncle Kim spent the day taking all the kids for rides on the bike. It sure was nice of us to bring him a toy all the way from Florida...LOL! Bill and I finally got our turn to ride and we went up into the foothills and did a little sightseeing.
Visit Bill's Red Road King

Savannah, GA

Our whole reason for going to Savannah was so that we could see the Juliette Low House. Visit the Birthplace. The first Girl Scout Troop was founded in Savannah on March 12, 1912 with 18 girls in the troop.

See Girl Scout History. What an awesome experience it was! We are definately a Girl Scout family....even Bill is registered and is an outdoor trainer for our council. After touring the Birthplace, we wandered around and took in some of the history of this fabulous city. Our goal was to get to River Street, but it was cold and very windy so we all voted to get into the nice warm truck and continue on to South Carolina. We made it to Central, SC and Uncle Kim's house Tuesday evening.

Fort Stewart, GA

Our first stop on Tuesday was Fort Stewart - Home of the 3rd Infantry Division Mechanized. It was quite an ordeal getting a pass from the TSA officer who didn't speak much english. I can't wrap my brain around that. It seems to me that our military bases should be protected by our soldiers or at least by someone who speaks the language well, but what do I know? Anyway we finally convinced him that we were not terrorists and we got our pass. The kids had a great time seeing all the military equipment and aircraft displays. There is a museum on base, but we were pressed for time. Maybe next trip. We had a good laugh over the "Tank Crossing" signs we passed on our way out. Visit the Tank Crossing. I was suprised to see that there were waymarks posted on the base. I wasn't sure if it would be acceptable but since it is we were able to post some of our own.

Our South Carolina Excursion - Day 1

On Monday April 6th we hooked up the bike, loaded ourselves and the kids into the Pick-Up and headed for South Carolina by way of Savannah, GA. We travelled throughout the day and visited and collected a ton of waymarks along the way. I'll be logging for weeks! I got to post my first U-haul graphic http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM65JF and I am hooked! What a fun game. I just wish more waymarkers were "into" this category so there were posts to visit. We stayed Monday night in Hinesville, GA home of Fort Stewart which was one of Bill's permanent duty assignments while he was in the Army. After a long day of riding, we got settled into the motel and then went to Western Sizzlin http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM6731 for dinner where the family was struck by a fit of giggles that eventually spread to a nearby table. Nobody even remembers what was sooooo funny!

Boca Grande - Gasparilla Island

We took a day and went Waymarking and "beaching" at Boca Grande. I was suprised to find that the lighthouse here wasn't posted. I was so excited to get to be the one to waymark it! Wormie went along with us and we had a nice day shelling, waymarking and swimming. The waves here are pretty big for the west coast of Florida. The Lighthouse Museum is very interesting and educational. A lot of history about the Island. Shot a couple of pictures of a local Iguana. They're neat to see, but not indigenous to the area. I was also excited that I was able to waymark the lighthouses and museum. I'm hoping for a Lucky 7. http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM6522

Brevard Law Ride

Sunday morning we got up and headed into Titusville for the Brevard Law Ride. We were greeted by drizzling rain and wet roads. After arriving at the Brevard Sheriffs Office and getting registered, we met up with Teflon, Doc and WofWof who rode up Saturday from Charlotte County. As everyone was lining up, the skies opened and the rain started coming harder and harder. Teflon and WofWof had forgotten their helmets and decided to go to Cracker Barrel instead of making the ride. I decided to not test my limits in a large pack on wet roads, so I joined them at Cracker Barrel, while Doc and Lucky went on the ride to the Space Center. A fun but soggy time was had by all. We headed home on a toll road around Orlando then South on scenic 17. It was a beautiful ride home once we got out of the weather with no casualities other then a little "monkey butt."

East Coast Cruise - Saturday Afternoon Edition

We stopped in Hobe Sound for lunch and they had fried green tomatoes on the menu...Yummm! We discovered that Bill doesn't like them, but he was a good sport and at least gave them a try. I got to waymark a barber pole! Believe it or not I've been looking for one and ended up finding it on the East Coast. We found a cache at an abandoned cemetary in Martin County, a virtual at a haunted house in Ft. Pierce, and a traditional in a nice Veterans Memorial Garden, also in Ft. Pierce. We stopped by an old RR Depot in in Vero Beach for a cache in Indian River County and then headed for our night's lodging. We found an Econo Lodge in Cocoa where they deliver Chinese, BBQ or Pizza to your room. Along with a bar, a pool and wireless internet it doesn't get much better! And half the price of the LaQuinta I might add and minus the yapping dog.