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Home Sweet Homestead

I’m back from vacation !  My 6-day / 590-mile / 14-county Florida road-trip has come to a close. My trek started in deep South Miami-Dade County (where my home is), and it continued northward through Broward, Palm Beach, Hendry, Glades, Highlands, and Polk Counties, westward into Hillsborough County (Tampa), southward through Manatee, Sarasota, Charlotte, Lee, and Collier Counties, and then back into Miami-Dade County. I also came within a few feet of touching (mainland) Monroe County for a second.

It was a fun trip. I saw a couple of current movies, I did a little bit of shopping (didn’t buy anything), I ate a lot of good food, I walked over 60,000 steps (to burn-off that good food), I did a lot of sightseeing, I visited some historical museums and animal-based tourist attractions, I went to two Christian music concerts, and I spent a lot of time at the beach.

I saw and I did things that I had never seen or done before in my life. This was a classic vacation. I get to spend the near future reminiscing about the times I enjoyed via the 140+ photos and 1 video I captured during all of the fun.

The 1 video I captured is a spectacular 3½-minute video of this past Tuesday night’s sunset on Venice Beach Florida. The video captures the 3 minutes leading up to the sun dropping below the horizon at sea as well as the 30 seconds right after that moment. I intended to post that video in its entirety here on my blog, but I realized that I can’t upload videos on here with my current WordPress plan. The video is also about 1:10 too long for Twitter, so I’ll have to figure out how to trim it down to 2:20 for Twitter.

In the meantime here’s Monday night’s sunset at 8:05 PM EDT on Venice Beach.

Sunset

From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets – the name of the LORD is to be praised. (Psalm 113:3 NIV)

All rights reserved (c) 2019 Christopher M. Day, CountUp Ministries

Categories
Animals

Remembering Barney & Fluffy

WELCOME to an all-new weekend of blogging !  This weekend I’m remembering Barney and Fluffy. They passed away during this same week of April 5 years apart in 2001 (Fluffy) and 2006 (Barney). They were the childhood cats of me and my brother (8 years younger than me), but I should clarify that a bit.

We found Fluffy (a Manx) outside on our elevated patio deck on a bitter cold and icy Northern Virginia morning on the 23RD of December in 1983. We brought her in, gave her some milk to drink, loved on her, and then she refused to leave. She remained with us (our family) for over 17 years – until 2001 – long after me and my brother had become adults and moved on with our respective lives.

Barney arrived about 4½ years later in 1988 while I was living here in Homestead Florida (where I’m still living today). My brother was still living at home. I’m not sure where exactly we got Barney, but it may have been from a coworker of our Mom. Barney remained with our family for about 18 years – until 2006.

Both cats lived long, fat, and happy lives. Fluffy was the most lovable feline I have ever known in my entire life. I had never heard a purr in my life until I heard it from her. Barney was simply “the cat that didn’t like me” – although during his last year (of perhaps senility) he came over to me and purred on me as if to ask me for my forgiveness for all of those years in which he didn’t care for me. Barney loved my brother more than anyone else.

Here are some classic photos of Barney and Fluffy. The first one has a date imprinted on the back of it of ‘APR 89’; however, I suspect that the photo was actually taken around Christmas-time of 1988. That would make Fluffy about 5½ to 6 years old and Barney less than a year old. The second photo was taken several years later well into the 1990s. Same wall and location – different couch.

Barney & Fluffy - Christmas-Time 1988
Barney & Fluffy – Christmas-Time 1988
Barney & Fluffy - Mid-1990s
Barney & Fluffy – Mid-1990s

All rights reserved (c) 2019 Christopher M. Day, CountUp Ministries

Categories
1980s Animals Holidays Music Radio

The Major’s Top 5 Hits RETRO – 1988

Every Friday night I post the Top 5 of one of my classic hit music charts based on personal preference from either 10, 20, or 30 years ago (rotating each week). Here it is – for the week ending Sunday December 25TH 1988:

  1. “Look Away” – Chicago
  2. “Waiting For A Star To Fall” – Boy Meets Girl
  3. “The Promise” – When In Rome
  4. “In Your Room” – The Bangles
  5. “The Only Way Is Up” – Yazz And The Plastic Population

30 years ago this weekend I was in Northern Virginia (Fairfax County – just outside of Washington D.C.) spending time with my family – my Dad, Mom, 13-year-old brother, and Fluffy and Barney (the young cats).

Back then we celebrated Fluffy’s 5TH Anniversary with our family. She joined us two days before Christmas of 1983.

11 years ago here on this blog I wrote about Fluffy’s arrival. Check it out here.

It’s halftime. I’ll be back on Monday with my brand new Top 10 chart for this week.

All rights reserved (c) 2018 Christopher M. Day, CountUp Ministries

Categories
Animals Humor Shopping Travel

Bear With Me

Happy Thursday night. A new weekend has arrived, and I’m looking forward to it. Tomorrow (Friday) night I’ll go #Retro with my Top 5 hits from exactly 20 years ago on Sunday July 12TH 1998. Then on Sunday I’ll share Scripture with you, and finally on Monday it’s my brand new Top 10 personal hit music chart.

But as for tonight it’s something simple – just a goofy photo of me and a bear – from inside a souvenir store on Clifton Hill in Niagara Falls Ontario Canada.

IMG_3158