Category: Holidays

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Animals Driving Health Holidays Shopping Travel

The Major’s Walk-A-Thon: Special On-Location Edition – Fort Myers, Estero, & Naples

I have returned home safely from my short 31-hour / 370-mile road-trip vacation over to Florida’s Gulf coast and back. Here are some thoughts:

1.  In addition to the 370 miles that I drove I think I walked at least 5 miles at various tourist attractions, events, and other places. It’s a good thing that my legs are my most powerful limbs. I got a great workout this weekend. It is now time to relax at home.

2.  I really enjoyed the Edison & Ford Winter Estates. I spent a good two hours there on Sunday afternoon walking around all throughout the compound. The coolest part of it all was the back portion of the actual homes of Thomas Edison and Henry Ford and the walking trail that runs right along the banks of the Caloosahatchee River. This is a place that I could return back to next year and enjoy all over again.

3.  I spent the night at a one-year-old Hampton Inn in Estero right across the Interstate from the Germain Arena. Of all of the Hampton Inns that I’ve stayed at over the past decade or so this was definitely the best of them all. It’s a no-brainer. I’ll be staying there again on my next visit to the area.

4.  This morning I walked all around the Miromar Outlets next to the Germain Arena. This is how an outdoor factory outlet mall is supposed to look like. If I lived near Estero then this would be where I (and my VISA card) would hang out on a regular basis.

5.  I walked a good mile-and-a-half at the Naples Zoo this afternoon. I’ve been there once before, and I’ll be back again on my next visit. I love that place !  It’s laid out beautifully. I love to walk, and I love hanging out with animals. The Naples Zoo offers me both opportunities. If I lived near Naples then I’d become a member of the zoo and visit over and over again.

I think it’s official now. The Orlando area is not where I wish to live when I retire in about 15 to 20 years. I think you’ll find me living peacefully and happily ever after over in the Fort Myers / Estero / Naples area sometime in the future.

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Driving Holidays Shopping Travel

Happy Presidents’ Day

It’s Presidents’ Day all across the great United States Of America, so you just know what that means. You bring in your dead presidents on legal tender, and we’ll sell you a brand new mattress for up to 50% off !  We’ve got King size, Queen size, Twin size, and all in-between size !  Come and check us out today !  Our selection is impeccable !  We’ll even deliver your fresh new mattress to your home and haul away your old one !  Do it today !

Seriously though I’m headed over to the Germain Arena this morning (I can see it from here) to attend the Faith & Family Expo. That’s where this morning’s Walk-A-Thon takes me. Later today it’s the long 160-mile trip back home again to Homestead.

Have a great holiday everyone !

Categories
Animals Food God Health Holidays Life Travel

The Major’s Walk-A-Thon

Sky: Sunny & Clear
Temperature: 64°F
Relative Humidity: 100%
Winds: NNE 2 MPH
Barometric Pressure: 30.14 Rising

My thoughts:

1.  I added a tenth of a mile to my walk around my neighbourhood this morning during the seven-o-clock hour. I walked about 1.4 miles total in about 27 minutes.

2.  Ducks and chickens were in abundance during my walk. They were out and about eating breakfast. I steered away from them. I was once attacked by an angry duck. The unfortunate incident of a few years ago continues to haunt me to this day.

3.  Not a single car passed me during my walk. In fact I only saw three people outside. I think everyone was inside eating bacon. I can effectively hypothesize that because the unmistakable aroma of fresh cooked bacon permeated all throughout the morning air of my neighbourhood.

4.  A friend from afar recently asked me why I started this weekly walk. Besides the obvious health and fitness reasons this walk – inspired and encouraged by this fellow WordPress blogger – is symbolic of my walk with Jesus Christ. I’ve been walking with Him on His fantastic journey for about 18 months now. I was once a mannequin – plastic and rotting. Now I am alive. Since I am alive I am living Life (always capitalized) the way that I should have lived it during my previous 39 years on His great Earth. That includes throwing everything up in the air like ‘Tossed Salad’ (catch the symbolism there) and only catching the good stuff – the right stuff. A physical walk is now on my agenda to complement my spiritual walk with my Creator. No longer am I sitting still in neutral. I am now moving forward and going places with my Life. The Lord Almighty is driving me. I am merely His passenger.

5.  I’m taking this walk on-the-road starting tomorrow. I’ll be walking all throughout the Edison & Ford Winter Estates in Fort Myers tomorrow afternoon. The walk continues on Monday (Presidents’ Day) at Estero’s Germain Arena for the Cross Reference Faith & Family Expo. Maybe I’ll even make a pit-stop at the Naples Zoo on my return trip back to Homestead.

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God Holidays

Lent Begins

It’s Ash Wednesday, and hence the first day of the Lenten season. It caught a lot of people by surprise today because it’s only the 6TH of February. Why so early you may ask ?

It’s because we have a very early Easter this year. Easter Sunday falls on Sunday March 23RD 2008. It’s the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after the 21ST of March. A full moon actually occurs precisely on the 21ST of March this year, so this year’s Easter Sunday falls on the 2ND earliest possible calendar date. The last time Easter Sunday fell on the 22ND of March (the earliest possible calendar date) – 1818 !  The next time it happens – 2285 !

Easter Sunday can occur as late as April 25TH. That would push Ash Wednesday and the start of Lent forward to March 10TH. In just 3 years – 2011 – Easter Sunday will fall on the 2ND latest possible calendar date – April 24TH. Blame it on the Moon !

Don’t forget that this is a leap year. Yes we have a February 29TH this year. It falls on a Friday.