Update

The last couple weeks have been stressful, but we've been finding ways to unwind and forget about the rising river for awhile. Everything is still dry at our house...

Here are some fun things happening:

Here's a shot of Tara and Cindy at the annual Southgate Lounge Polish Party.

Mark, Darlene, Pete, & Cindy at The Down Under after the Drag Show....(don't ask!

This picture is what I like to call, "Two and a Half Men!" YIKES! Thanks to Tina Huderle for dragging us into her "underground fetish" world!

Hilo is doing very well in his new home...and growing fast!

New Puppy!

We have another addition to our brood of dogs....
We have a new German Shepherd Dog puppy, and we named him HILO. (get it, Kona & Hilo are cities we went to on The Big Island of Hawaii!) :-)

He is 8 weeks old, and adjusting to his new digs. Thanks to Crystal Wangler and family for the new puppy! We love him!

Here comes that darn river again!!!!

We are about a week or less away from the first crest of the flooded Red Rive of the North here in GF. There is a second predicted crest when the new snows melt. They are predicting 52'. In the devastating floods of 1997, the river reached 54.4'...so this is a biggie! (we all know predictions are always off!)

Crossing our fingers!
Here is a pic I took of a farm field on my way home from work:

Sunny Liston Tour in St. Thomas USVI

Every Little Thing...Gonna Be Alright.

Cruise Review!

I have wrote and posted my Emerald Princess cruise review on my Cruise Blog at:

http://cruise-aritaville.blogspot.com/

Click the link, read the review, and see some photos from our trip!
I wish we were back there right now! Enjoy!

Bon Voyage!

This weekend, we embark on a 10 day cruise on Emerald Princess. I will write a full review and post some pics upon return on my cruise blog, http://cruise-aritaville.blogspot.com/.

We booked a BF BALCONY GUARANTEE stateroom, and we were assigned a BC Balcony assignment on Aloha Deck.

Sailing out of Ft. Lauderdale with Tammy & Marty, Kent & Darlene, Cindy and I.

We will be visiting:
Antigua
Dominica
Barbados
St. Kitt's
St. Thomas
Princess Cays, Bahamas

Bon Voyage!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Don't we make a great bell ringing team! Here's Pete and Willow out raising money
for The Salvation Army Kettle Campaign this year. Bringing Willow was a great idea...as people
just couldn't resist her cuteness! Thanks to all those who helped us with the food and toy
distribution last week! It was a lot of hard volunteer work...but it's such a good cause.
I apologize to my family...for blowing everything off the past few weeks so I could help
The Sal Army. I'll make it up to ya! Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year to all!

A big Happy Birthday to my wife Cindy, as she turns a year older Sunday, November 30th!

Happy Birthday Cindy!

Capt. Tony has Passed Away...

Raise your glasses to the memory of Capt. Tony Terracino...for he has passed away at the age of 92.

Who the heck is Capt. Tony???
Capt. Tony was a legend in Key West, FL. He was beaten and left for dead in Jersey by some bookies. Two days later, he woke up and headed to Florida. He bought a bar at 428 Greene St...which had a colorful past as well. It had been an Ice House, City Morgue, Bordello, Wireless Telegraph Station, Cigar Factory, and bar in it's long history. Back in the 1930's, this bar was called Sloppy Joe's Bar... a favorite watering hole of Ernest Hemingway. (the original urninal is now in the Ernest Hemingway House)

Capt. Tony has been a Charter Boat Capt, Gun-runner for Cuban Mercenaries during The Bay of Pigs (see movie The Cuba Crossing)and the Mayor of Key West.

Jimmy Buffett was a friend of him, and immortalized Capt. Tony in his song/album "The Last Mango in Paris". Jimmy Buffett's original "Margaritaville" is located about 3 blocks away from Capt. Tony's Saloon. Both are destinations on all "Parrotheads Bucket Lists". Yea, I've already visited them both.

Rest in peace Captain Tony.

This tree grows right out of the roof at Capt. Tony's Saloon. It's Key West's original "Hanging Tree" where 18 Pirates were hanged:

The Wedding

Visit to the Pumpkin Patch

A visit to Nelson Farms, Pumpkin Patch! It was a nice day to take Willow out to pick out some pumpkins, and have some fun. We all had a great time. The farm is located about 20 miles west of our house.