Party /Art Show weekend

It was that time of year again....Brenna you missed it by a week this year!haha Chuck and Pat had their annual Crayfish Boil. The Crayfish flag was flying, Chuck had his LSU colors on and the pots were boiling
There were at least 5 batches cooked up...and in one of them was this little fellow? gal?...a little snapping turtle! (in with the crayfish) Saved from a trip to the hot boiling pot by the chef! They served up the usual crayfish, artichokes, corn (really HOT!),potatoes,sausage, shrimp....and I'm not sure what else because honestly I can't/don't eat any of it...it's too hot for my taste. I ate the bread, regular boiled shrimp and all the side dishes. I got to bake up some cookies and a carrot cake...both got good reviews..which is part of the fun of baking...seeing people enjoy what you make! no one left there hungry, that's for sure.
M., P., N. and Anne
Charlie and John trying to eat the corn without burning their lips and mouths!
Enjoying a fresh batch
After you had something to eat...you could sit and enjoy the conversation and the breezy afternoon
And then...for some of us...it was off to the Melbourne Art Show. My brother had a show of his own in a rented space downtown...right on New Haven Ave. It was ideal...a huge empty building, AC. bathrooms, yeah! no trips to the Port-o-Let and lots of wall space to hang his art work...it was his "99 Pieces of Art on the Wall Show"
this show was an attempt to unload some of the art work that he has around his house!. The prices were great and he did well. He sold quite a few of the smaller pieces...and some people were able to buy pieces they had "thought" about buying...but didn't or couldn't justify spending the money...but at the $99.00 or less price...it was more affordable! It was amazing how much "stuff" he had! Paul spent the week helping him get everything organized and up on the walls...this is the first show David's done since he was in the hospital.
One friend jokingly said..."Gee David, it's a shame you don't have time to work on creating any art!" hahaha
There was also convenient parking always tricky during the art show weekend a great DJ and some artwork from a local store "The Surf Gallery" sharing the space with David.
Each time a picture was sold...Paul or David put a new one up in the blank space. It was great to be able to see everything up on the wall...where you could really see it. I noticed some pieces I hadn't really noticed before.They put little SOLD stickers up...just so people would see things were being purchased.
one grouping
another
close up of one that sold...I liked this one...it's fun...just like most of David's work.

the infamous shoes

Here's what the real thing looks like.
Here's what you can wear in a pinch....
I don't know how well they'll work next time I go bowling....hahhaha

FISH!

Yesterday John, Ron, Mark and Jim went out all day (left at 2:00am- returned at 7:30pm) I was actually starting to get a little worried....but I figured I wouldn't worry too much until dark...fortunately that didn't happen... they got in before that! Compared to last year...fishing this season has been slow.But now the water is starting to warm up and the fish are moving. John and Ron and others have been out several times...catching a few fish each time...but no BIG catches like last year...until yesterday they finally got their limit!As they arrived back here...it was raining lightly....and it was one dirty, wet, tired looking crew...but they were smiling because they had fish!
Mark and Ron filled the cooler with ice and packed the fish in for cleaning today.
packing them in

Unloading the fish in the dark... but it wasn't too dark for a quick photo or two! a big dolphin!
Last time Jim and John went out it was a rough day and they only got a few small fish...so Jim was really smiling last night!
some tuna...soon to be sushi!
one fish still had the hook and ballyhoo attached
funny looking Tile fish
Ron with a dolphin and a tile...John with a tuna fillet
Cleaning table/sushi serving table....it doesn't get any fresher than that!
We've had some other fish this year...but this was the first big catch...and it was fun! Ron cleaned it all...John, Paul, David and I sampled it as he cleaned it. Fish for dinner tomorrow!

A Trip to Naples

This past week my sister Martha was scheduled to attend a conference in Naples Fl. I decided to take a few days off myself...so I could join her there. Tony's sister Cathy and her husband Andy drove down from Gainesville...they arrived the day before we did. John had hoped to drive down and pick up my BIL Tony to go offshore fishing...but the weather did not cooperate...so John drove down with me instead. It's about a 4-4 1/2 hour drive south and west from Indialantic. It's kind of an easy drive...through lots of small towns and back roads...and past miles and miles of orange groves. We left early on Wednesday (what a surprise!) and the traffic was light...so I enjoyed the smell of the oranges as we drove along the old 2 lane highways. It brought back memories of the old drive to Gainesville...before the freezes in the late 70's early 80's killed many of the trees and the land was sold to developers. So once again we got to drive past miles and miles of orange trees...and cattle...with billboards reminding us that " BEEF it's what's for dinner!" I have only been that way two other times...once in college...when I went ot my roommates home in Ft. Myers and several years ago when John and I joined some friends on their wonderful boat and traveled across the state by water. This time I noticed the signs for the Locks that we had passed through by boat.. on that trip).
Martha and Tony were staying at the Ritz-Carlton in Naples...we were at a nice place about 1/2 mile and 3-4 hundred dollars down the road...The Inn at Pelican Bay. It was a nice place...comfortable room....
breakfast in the morning, tea and crumpets which I missed in the afternoon.
The day we arrived...John met up with Tony and his BIL Andy or as we like to call him...our brother-in-law-in-law and Martha for a round of golf. Cathy and a friend, Paige, went to hang out at the RC pool...but I opted to go shopping! There were a couple of stores nearby that I like to visit when I can...since we do not have them in our town...like Anthropologie and Pottery Barn to name a couple. So I headed to the Shoppes at Waterfront while they headed to the pool and the golf course.
South Florida is an interesting place for people watching! According to the tourist channel at the hotel there are more millionaires per capita in Naples than there are in Beverly Hills...and I guess if you have plenty of money...you can buy designer animal crackers or bring your designer dogs with you while you shop. I saw a couple of dogs in strollers and others walking along with their owners or being carried by them.... I'm sorry...but I fail to see the need to bring a dog with you to Williams-Sonoma or Pottery Barn!
That night we all went out to eat at a nice place on the beach..Baleen We had a great dinner over looking the ocean as we watched the sunset, Very nice! This picture is great of Martha...terrible of me...but that's the way it goes...hahaha
The next morning Martha and I met for breakfast at the Ritz. Here's my view of the grounds as I waited for her by the pool.
When John and Tony finished up their morning round of golf...John joined us at the restaurant.

Here's what the bathroom down by the pool looked like! don't worry...I made sure no one else was in there before I snapped my photo! hahaha Pretty nice!
Then it was time for golf in the afternoon. I play about once every 3-4 years....so I don't have my own equipment...no problem...I wore my bowling shoes...instead of golf shoes. hahaha I did buy myself a new golf shirt to match a skort I already had, and John got Megan's old clubs down for me to use. There was only one slight problem with the clubs...no one has used them in several years and the heat of the garage where they've been stored...caused the grips to disintegrate. the story of my life...I'll tell you about the shedding mink cape I wore on a trip to Tahoe sometime! haha The putter was fine so when we made our way to the driving range and as I started to hit balls...I was in for a surprise.......here's what my hands looked like. They were sticky AND black.. Hahahaa I'm sure I looked like a local! hahahaha
We decided it was going to be John and Tony (aka the Brothers-in-Law)
against Martha and Anne (aka The Sisters) We got a lot of do-overs and free strokes..
You had to watch where you hit the balls...because there were several of these on the course! We got kind of close to one and that thing moved FAST! He/It was in the water in a flash and a splash! Definitely wouldn't want one coming after me!
All in all I did pretty well...considering I rarely ever play...I was wearing bowling shoes (hahaha) and I had clubs that were falling apart as I played...ha! John's lucky I have a sense of humor! We had a nice visit with Martha and Tony, Andy and Cathy and their friends Paige and John. Too bad we didn't have more time....

I Believe

I Believe

I believe
in the sun
even when
it is not
shining.

I believe
in love
when feeling
it not.

I believe
in God
even when he is silent.
(Inscription on the walls of a cellar in Cologne, Germany, where Jews hid from the Nazis.)

Birthdays,Birthdays, Birthdays!

Today is my brother Mark's birthday...and I joined him at Longdoggers after work today to celebrate. He was enjoying the evening with John, Ron and M.W. and all the crew at Longdoggers when I arrived.
Today is also Kiena's birthday! She is 10 years old today! I can't believe we've had her for 10 years...I never had a dog before this...and she is my little buddy. who can drive me crazy some days! hahah She is a barker! Can you tell Kiena was leery about posing next to this birthday cake puppet! hahah She didn't know what I was going to do..but she didn't like it....ha
The promise of a treat always does the trick...hahah..and I got her to sit next to the birthday cake!
Mark who is VERY low key...was enjoying a few beers courtesy of Ron, Al and John and? He got pied in the face by Al... I missed that! All the girls were wishing him Happy Birthday and before he left he was treated to some wings by a regular..."Red"...and when I say regular...I mean I don't think I have EVER been to Longdoggers when Red was not there! So Mark...Mr. Low Key was really enjoying his birthday and that was nice to see! He reported that our sisters Ellen and Elizabeth had called...as well as my brother -in-law Rob... who also celebrates a birthday today. Happy Birthday Mark! Happy birthday Kiena! Happy Birthday Rob!

Weekend happenings

Last week I enjoyed lunch with a good friend who happened to be in town for Easter. Cheryl was one of my sister Jenifer's best friends. They met on the first day of first grade. Four years ago , right before Easter, Cheryl was up visiting Jenifer during a rough time in her (Jen's) treatment. The next week...she wasn't feeling and decided that the family should go to Easter service without her. When they got home she had lapsed into a coma and no one knew exactly what had caused it and if she would recover. Several months later she did recover, and after a year of intense therapy she was able to walk with a cane, talk, etc. As you can see in this picture she has come a long way...but the neurological problems continue even now. She has pain in her back and some difficulty walking. But she looks so much better and she still likes to laugh and it was a pleasure to see her. It has been an extremely difficult 4 years for her...but she's hanging in there.
Later the same week John and Reid took the boat over to the Bahamas for a few days during the school spring break. They brought along a friend M.W. and his son B. and Reid's son Chandler. They didn't catch as many fish as they hoped to...but they did catch enough to fill up the freezer a little. B. caught his first ever mahimahi (dolphin) and that's what John was really hoping for. The weather was great, the boat ran well...so all in all it was a good trip.
Here's Chandler holding a small flying fish that they found inside one of the dolphin!
M and his son and Reid.