Category: Nature

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The Major’s Weekend Blast-Off

Happy Columbus Day Weekend !  Let’s BLAST-OFF this weekend !

WEEKEND GRAB BAG O’ THOUGHT:
Well the cooler temperatures and the lower humidity arrived with a vengeance just as soon as October arrived a week ago, and it’s been no fluke. The South Florida dry season has officially begun – a few weeks earlier than normal. Lately we’ve been struggling to get in to the 80s in the afternoons, and we’re dropping well into the 60s early in the mornings with wind chills into the 50s at times. It’s our coolest weather in about 6 months, and it feels so good !  I must get out and enjoy this scrumptious Chamber Of Commerce weather. Last weekend I quietly kicked-off my ‘Cultural, Historical, & Economical Stimulus Tour’ for the Winter of 2011 with visits to Homestead Bayfront Park and Biscayne National Park. This weekend my fun-in-the-sun plans include the upper Florida Keys and Monkey Jungle. Between now and next April I’ll also plan to spend some quality time at Zoo Miami, Jungle Island, Miami Beach, West Palm Beach, Jupiter, Stuart, Naples, Fort Myers, Sanibel Island, Jacksonville, Panama City Beach, much of the NW Florida panhandle, Dallas Texas, The Bahamas, The U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. Have fun will travel !

BEST LUNCH OF THE WEEK AWARD:
Chili’s – For the 2ND time in 6 weeks the Quesadilla Explosion Salad wins the coveted award. If you’ve got a hearty appetitite for nutritious vegetable goodness then check out this masterpiece. It’s got grilled chicken with cheese, corn relish, cilantro, tortilla strips, and citrus-balsamic dressing – served with cheese quesadillas. I dig.

5 CHRISTIAN TRACKS THAT ROCK MY FACE OFF:
– Break Down – A Rotterdam November
– Dear X, You Don’t Own Me – Disciple
– Driving Nails – Demon Hunter
– Therapy – Relient K
– You Know (Sixteen) – Please Promise
– – – – –
CALL-FM ROCKS !

THOSE CRAZY CRAZY CATS:
Some day – maybe 5 or 10 or 15 years from now – I may be a cat owner again. It’s because of these lovable shenanigans from my feline friends:

BLATANT PROMOTION:
Tomorrow night on my ‘Saturday Night Retro’ I’m flashing back 23½ years ago to the Spring of 1987 – back when I was a young resident of the British Isles. I’ll take a glimpse at what I was doing back then during my final memorable months as a teenager. After that I’m bring blogging back to Sundays !  That’s right – it’s the 4TH season premiere of ‘The Major’s Walk-A-Thon’. This year I’ve set a reasonable goal to walk a marathon – not all at once – but combined between now and April. I’m looking to walk 26.2 miles above and beyond my normal everyday walking. That’s an average of about 3.75 miles per month from October to April. In the fine tradition that is ‘The Major’s Walk-A-Thon’ I’ll blog about my walking adventures, and I’ll track my progress towards the goal. Don’t forget that you can follow me on Twitter in-between all of the weekend blog posts. Have yourself a safe and fun holiday weekend my friends.

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Saturday Night Retro

7 years ago during the Autumn months of September, October, and November of 2003 remember when these 7 notable events occurred:

– Once Cat. 5 Hurricane Isabel strikes N. Carolina causing $4 billion in damage.
– Arnold Schwarzenegger is elected Governor of California.
– 11 die and 71 are injured in the Staten Island New York ferry crash.
– The Concorde flies for the very last time.
– Wildfires ravage San Diego County in California destroying over 2,200 homes.
– The Florida Marlins beat the New York Yankees in the World Series.
– Americans pay $1.40 to $1.60 for a gallon of gas.

European dance music had a spot on the South Florida radio dial via Party-93.1, and this was one of the hottest songs of the year on that memorable station that was an integral part of my life for two years. It’s a dance remake of the clasic Duran Duran # 1 smash “Ordinary World”. Here’s Aurora with Naimee Coleman:

Next week it’s the remarkable 100TH edition of my ‘Saturday Night Retro’ – now my only remaining original weekly blog series from the 2008 heyday. I’m not planning anything out of the ordinary for the milestone edition. It will all be routine standard fare. How ‘Retro’ of me. We’ll flashback to 39 years ago to the Autumn of 1971. I want you to meet an Uncle. He knows this Admiral.

See ya next week !

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Animals History Holidays Nature Travel Weather

Carnival Valor Grab Bag O’ Thoughts

I sailed aboard the gorgeous Carnival Valor during the recent Labour Day holiday week of Sunday September 05TH 2010 through Sunday September 12TH 2010. It was my 10TH Carnival cruise, and my 1ST of many more to come as a V.I.P. Platinum cruiser.

We sailed out of the Port Of Miami on a sunny Sunday afternoon, and we headed southbound into the pristine Caribbean Sea. Our 4 exotic ports-of-call were George Town, Mahogany Bay, Belize City, and San Miguel.

George Town, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands, British West Indies:
This was my 3RD visit to the rich U.K. island of banks. My last visit there was 4 years ago in October 2006 via the Carnival Miracle. The island has taken a beating from a series of major hurricanes over the past decade, but she still looks beautiful. I took a 3-hour coach tour along the far northwestern end of the island. We visited a turtle farm and a rum cake outlet before we all went to Hell !

Mahogany Bay, Isla Roatán, Bay Islands, Honduras:
This was my very 1ST visit ever to Honduras. Of course this was actually one of the many outlying islands north of the mainland, but it still qualifies as my 21ST unique country, republic, nation, or territory that I’ve visited in my lifetime. It’s a relatively new cruise ship port, and the island itself is rather quaint and primitive. On a 4-hour shore excursion we visited the Carambola Botanical Gardens, the Roatán Tropical Butterfly Garden, and then a seaside shopping and dining village. It was a fun visit to a new Caribbean island discovery.

Belize City, Belize:
This was my 2ND visit to Belize. My 1ST was 4 years ago in October 2006. Belize is the only 1 of the 4 ports that you can actually drive to from anywhere in the U.S. It’s part of mainland Central America – south of Mexico and east of Guatemala. It’s the only English speaking nation south of the U.S. in the entire western hemisphere. Although it’s geographically located in Central America it’s culturally Caribbean. We visited the Belize Zoo – about 30 miles southwest of Belize City. I dig zoos, so it was real exciting to visit this zoo in a foreign country and see the animals of the jungle. It was also a real thrill to return to my cabin back on the cruise ship after Dinner each night to see which new towel animal was hangin’ out with me. Here’s a sample of 4 of those cotton creatures:

San Miguel, Cozumel, Quintana Roo, Mexico:
And there I was again – the Caribbean port-of-call that I’ve been to more than any other – by far. 7 out of 10 of my Carnival cruises over the past 11 years have sailed there, and it always feels like my home away from home whenever I return. Hurricane Wilma devastated Cozumel back in October 2005, but it was quick to recover with all of those American dollars constantly pouring in to the island. The last time I visited earlier this year in February it was a bit chilly and dreary during a major cold snap. This time around it was hot and sunny – just like it should be on the island. I’ll be back again.

Miami, Florida, U.S.A.:
It was back home stateside this past Sunday morning after a week at sea and 4 exotic countries. This was perhaps the smoothest ride at sea of any Carnival cruise that I can remember. I barely felt the waves of the sea on the ship. Ironically that’s one of the advantages of sailing during the peak of the Atlantic hurricane season. If there’s no organized tropical systems around then the seas can be as smooth as glass during this time of the year. While I was at sea the only organized tropical system was making landfall near the south of Texas.

Until I cruise again with Carnival in less than 18 weeks – I’ll remember this:

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Blogging Commerce Home Life Nature News Politics Travel Weather

Tuesday Night Grab Bag O’ Thoughts

Summer In The City – The consistently hot and humid air has arrived aqui en el sur de Florida, and it’s here to stick around – guaranteed – for at least the next 6 months. After enjoying / enduring the coldest winter season that we here in South Florida have ever experienced in our lifetime this hot and humid weather feels even more uncomfortable than usual. A look at the tropical Atlantic Ocean reveals this rather startling fact – well above normal sea temperatures already into the 80s that are more typical of the middle of June rather than the start of May. It’s the perfect breeding ground for a very active tropical storm and hurricane season. Last summer the effects of the El Niño phenomenon fortunately ripped and shredded most of the developing storms out at sea, but it’s history now. While we won’t have a La Niña phenomenon in-place until perhaps next Summer we will have a fairly typical tropical scenario for this Summer – and that’s a far busier scenario than what we experienced last Summer. Now is the time to prepare for the upcoming season – not when one is bearing down on the U.S. East Coast. Be prepared. Act smart. Don’t panic.

Oil In The Gulf – We are witnessing one of the greatest ecological disasters in a lifetime. When the oil rig explosion and fire in the northern Gulf Of Mexico was first being reported as ‘breaking news’ during the early morning hours of the 21ST of April most of us didn’t think much of it. But now we know the devastating effects of it, and the story is still developing. The blame game is in full effect. Democrats are blaming Republicans for encouraging the drilling of oil in the Gulf. Even former President Bush is getting blamed for the disaster. I get the feeling that he will get blamed for everything that goes wrong in this world for as long as he lives. I also get the feeling that our current President Obama can do whatever he feels like – or do nothing at all – and still be loved and adored by the world because he’s just such a nice and friendly guy. I didn’t vote for him. I didn’t vote for the popular guy. I voted for the guy who was ready with the experience needed to be the President on Day 1.

Hangin’ At The Hampton – Tonight I’m living in luxury at the sparkling new Hampton Inn here on the east side of Homestead. The Hampton Inn is by far my favourite hotel chain in the entire world, and I try to stay at one whenever I’m on the road on vacation. I’m also a Hilton HHonors card-carrying member. I get perks – eventually. This Hampton Inn is exactly what this area has needed for a long time – since well before Hurricane Andrew – a moderately-upscale hotel. By the looks of the rather full parking lot every work day morning when I pass right by it we (natives and tourists alike) are apparently supporting it at an average pop of $150 per night (substantially higher during special events). It’s always great when big companies come to Homestead to build their respective product chains (whether it be stores, restaurants, or hotels), and then they thrive. Build it and we will come. Anyway I’m staying here tonight because I still have no working A.C. in my home. A brand new compressor had to be ordered and delivered from the southwest coast of Florida. It was supposed to arrive late this afternoon, and hopefully it did. Right now I have a 9 AM appointment tomorrow (Wednesday) back at home to get it installed, get my A.C. back up and running again, and bring those unbearably stifling temperatures down from the upper-80s to the mid-70s where they belong. Even though it’s really nice and comfortable here at the Hampton I really can’t wait to return back to my air conditioned home again and reestablish my daily routine that was so rudely interrupted this past Sunday morning when I awoke in an unexpected sweat.

In less than 48 hours I’ll be posting my ‘Thursday Night Mini Thoughts’. They are spontaneous flashes of thoughts that hit you in 15 words or less. Be sure to check them out, and then stick around for history and inspiration this weekend as I blog my ‘Saturday Night Retro’ and ‘My Fantastic Journey’.