Category: Travel

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History Music Travel

Saturday Night Retro

As I begin this post it’s barely after 7 AM on a Saturday morning, but I’m ready to go all ‘Retro’ on you right now !  The fact of the matter is that I’m leaving for the Florida Keys with a buddy in a couple of hours, and we may head all the way down to the end of the road – Mile Marker Zero – in the heart of Key West. If we reach the end then we probably won’t be back until late tonight, so I wanted to get this posted now in that event.

About 21 years ago during the Spring of 1988 my Mom, Dad, and Brother visited me here in America’s Riviera for the first time ever. We actually stayed at a popular hotel resort in Key Largo (bayside), and we drove all the way down to Key West in our rental car. (I didn’t even own a car at the time.) I think it was the very first visit for all of us into the Florida Keys.

I’ve actually visited Key West via cruise ship more so than via automobile. In fact I’ll be there again on the Tuesday after Labor Day in September as part of another short Carnival cruise that I’ll be on. Key West is a fun town. It’s a nice place to visit every now and then. It seems so far away from Homestead and points north – besides its geographic location. It’s like a whole different world down there.

21 years ago in 1988 when we were discovering the Florida Keys for the first time this tropical song was emerging as a megasmash on the radio. As it turns out it became the biggest-selling (platinum) and longest-running single of their long historic careers. I’m talking of course of the legendary Beach Boys. Here’s their ENORMOUS 1988 smash “Kokomo”.

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Blogging Food God Holidays People Travel

Life Pointe Church Plantation Key Lime Pie

I’m deviating from the normal ‘Mini Thoughts’ format of the ‘Tossed Salad’ to present a very special edition of the ‘Key Lime Pie’ in standard paragraph format with complete sentences !

This was the Life Pointe Church weekend that actually wasn’t supposed to happen. I had planned to be out-of-town during this long Memorial Day holiday weekend, but those plans never really got off of the ground, so here I am – and there I was.

I senior-skipped the 9 AM service this morning, as I slipped in to the movie theatre shortly after 10 AM. I attended the 10:30 AM service up in the ‘stadium’ seating area. I was able to sit with some really good people behind me and on my row, so that was quite the treat. (I’ll be back to serving again next Sunday morning.)

After the service me and most of those same good people headed on over to Mamma Mia (Italian ristorante) to enjoy some food, fun, and fellowship. It was definitely time well-spent with some good food and some good people.

Later on in the afternoon I visited John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park (in Key Largo) for the first time ever. It’s part of my continuing ‘2009 Economic Stimulus Tour’ (of tourist attractions). I mainly checked out the fish tank exhibits within the visitor center, walked a cool nature trail under the hammocks, and sat by the dock of the bay wastin’ time. I plan to do the 2½-hour glass-bottom boat tour of the coral reefs on a future visit to the park.

Following the park adventure I got to experience the 6 PM service at our Plantation Key campus for the first time in over 5 months (since last December). The new church campus is coming along rather nicely, and I was happy and proud to see vibrant Life inside that building. The expansion of God’s Kingdom all around Mile Marker 90 in the Florida Keys is well on its way. Service is done on a more intimate level there than at our Homestead campus. It was rather surreal to experience it all. It had that unique Life Pointe Church flavor to it with that special Plantation Key feel. It was a cool combination. Check it out for yourself whenever you get a chance to head southwestbound.

Pastor Travis spoke to us on the revolutionary woman. It was based on the Good News that is 1 Peter 3:1-6 and Proverbs 31:10-31.

I am looking for a revolutionary woman in my Life that I am attracted to physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Past behaviour is generally a reasonable indication of future behaviour, so one who has disrespected relationships in the past will probably do so in the future as well. This is not always the case – especially if there has been a major life-changing event – such as (in my specific case) – a Rebirthing. Before this journey commenced over 1,000 days ago I always thought that ‘she’ completed me. That will never be the case again. Jesus Christ will always complete me, and He must also complete the revolutionary woman in my Life.

Can you believe it ?  Pastor Travis actually set aside a few minutes earlier today to blog a rare ‘Sunday Wrap-Up’. That’s the cool Travis 2.0 that I know !

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Animals Blogging Career Computers Driving God History Holidays Television Travel Weather

Thursday Night Mini Thoughts

– I always look forward to blogging on a Thursday night.
– That’s because this is one of my favourite weekly series.
– OK – It’s my favourite of them all.
– I have no idea what I’m gonna type on here until I actually do it.
– This is as spur-of-the-moment spontaneous as it can possibly get with me.
– “Judge Judy” just came on (at 4 PM EDT).
– An afternoon is not for real until I’ve had my hour-long dose of Judy.
– They don’t keep her around there because she’s gorgeous.
– They keep her around there because she’s SMART !!!
– The devil has been working overtime at my workplace all this week.
– He’s been making my Life miserable at work.
– But he started to retreat big-time during the day today.
– That’s because God gave me some stronger armour to wear.
– Ephesians 6:10-20 – I could (and should) read that every single day.
– If reading about God makes you uncomfortable then you don’t know Him.
– You should get to know Him.
– He can change your Life.
– I’m looking forward to the long Memorial Day holiday weekend.
– It all starts in less than 24 hours dude.
– I’ve decided to take a week off from serving at Life Pointe Church.
– I’m coming in late, and I’m attending the 10:30 AM service.
– Later on Sunday I plan to drive down to The Keys.
– I’m attending the 6 PM service at the Plantation Key campus.
– I’ve heard a lot of great things about this campus.
– I need to check them all out for myself.
– I also want my Tom Little update of the month.
– Homestead ARB has recorded 4.55 inches of rain over the past 5 days.
– Last week I boldly forecasted 4 to 8 inches of rain for this week.
– It looks like I so totally nailed this weather forecast.
– I do my best weather forecasting work during the rainy season.
– And I do it for free.
– I adore this picture of my first cat Fluffy:

Fluffy The Manx Cat - Late-1987
Fluffy The Manx Cat - Late-1987

– That doggie pillow still exists today on one of my living room couches.
– It’s much more faded now.
– Fluffy inspired ‘MANx CAT BBS’ – born on this day in 1993.
– That BBS is the Godmother of this blog.
– And those – my friends – are my mini thoughts on this here Thursday night.
– Keep it real dudes and dudettes.
– I’ll check you cats out this weekend.

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Computers History Life Music Radio Television Travel

Saturday Night Retro

THIS WEEK I’m taking the ‘Retro’ straight back 25 years ago to the Summer of 1984 – right around my 17TH birthday. I had just finished my Junior year at Langley High School in McLean Virginia.

Here’s a happy me posing in my bedroom next to my brand new AM-FM stereo and cassette player / recorder and record player.

1984 Stereo

Here’s me playing on my very first computer – a Radio Shack TRS-80 Color Computer 2. My monitor – Channel 3 of our living room TV.

1984 Computer

Here’s me somewhere on a family vacation, and I’m looking out from some type of a tower up above the surrounding land. This could be an amusement park (such as Kings Dominion or Hershey Park).

1984 Tower

… And back in the Summer of 1984 this was one of the hottest game shows on daytime television. It’s still a cult classic to this day.

BIG BUCKS … NO WHAMMIES … STOP !!!