Category Archives: Troy’s Blog

Florida Keys, Troy's Blog

Bits and Pieces From the Keys

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Entering the Keys

During our journey to Key West we enjoyed a number of activities along the way. A year ago while driving out to Key West for the first time I had read about this place called Robbie’s Marina. If you’re interested you can read the post describing potential activities in the keys here. On that trip we never found Robbie’s. As it turns out, it was dark by the time we got to Islamorada which is why I never saw it. This time, however, we made the trip during the middle of the day in order to enjoy more of the sights along US 1 and just as we crossed the bridge to Islamorada, there it was – a sign for Robbie’s. I quickly slammed on the breaks and made the turn into the marina. It was never our intention to stop but there it was so we at least had to check it out.

Dock "Hazards" - Pelicans

I was amazed at how busy it was. There were some open air shops along with a restaurant and the marina. It costs $1.00 per person to enter the docks for the famous tarpon feeding. We paid our fee along with purchasing some food for the fish and on to the designated spot we went. There are some hazards you encounter before getting to the fish. These “hazards” are the pelicans. Not only do the fish like an easy meal but so do these feathered friends. They are not shy about chasing you and trying to steal your bucket of fish food (bait fish). Once getting past the gauntlet of birds we moved quickly to the feeding area set up to keep them out. I was advised not to get to close to the water as the fish take whatever appears and smells like food. All in all we spent about an hour at Robbie’s and enjoyed the sights. At their website they have webcams available to view the tarpon and pelicans. It’s a good reminder for us of our short time there.

Feeding the Tarpon

After this fun experience we continued onward toward Key West. Fortunately along the way there are several places you can pull off and enjoy the scenery or go fishing. We decided it was time to eat so we happened by this great park right by US 1. There was cold pizza and fruit in the trunk from previous meals and we each had a drink with us so a nice spot with a little shade to eat and then enjoy some sun was in order. We could have easily spent the rest of the afternoon here as the temperatures were near 80 0F with a slight breeze but our ultimate goal was to get to Key West in time to experience the sunset there so back on the road for the remainder of the trip. Looking at the photo below can you blame us for wanting to stay longer?

Lunch with a View

For more bits and pieces from the keys click here…

Family Ramblings, Troy's Blog

What Will 2012 Bring?

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The Dawn of 2012

As one year ends and another begins I like to reflect on the events of the previous year. On what worked well, things that did not go so well, and maybe even pass briefly over those memories that are better off forgotten. Why do this? For me, I imagine myself much older and unable to do the things I can now. When I get to that point in life I want to have as few regrets as possible. Whether that be things I regret doing or things I would regret not doing. Reflecting on the past year helps to find things to improve upon or objectives I did not meet as well as those I did. Once I figure this out I can determine why I did or did not meet those goals and what I need to change for the next year. The ultimate goal is to end the year completing all of my objectives unable to improve upon them. Well, I’m sure we all can guess how many years go by that I can improve on nothing else. NEVER!

Watching the World Go By

Last year was almost a blur if went by so fast. Every year one of my goals is always to take a beautiful summer day and watch the clouds float by enjoying a light breeze and the sounds around. I may have forgotten to do that in 2011. Fortunately there were some nights sitting by the campfire after everyone else had turned in for the night watching the fireflies and enjoying the peace of the moment. Watching the world go by for at least part of a summers day is yet again one of my goals for 2012. Along with that, a trip to California to explore Yosemite and a week in Northern Minnesota/Michigan camping in Isle Royale and possibly Voyageurs National Park are on the list of places to experience. Travel tends to be a fairly high priority in my house so many of our goals are centered around that. There are objectives to provide as many experiences for Lysa and Kristy without over doing it. They are still kids and need to spend some time being one.

There are home improvement goals, financial goals, and professional goals to go with the objectives decided on for travel. It is fun for me to look at what we accomplish in a year and sometimes there is disbelief that certain goals are met. I tried the New Years resolution for a couple of years and decided that setting goals was more encouraging and ultimately more successful.

Family Ramblings, Troy's Blog

Where to Celebrate the New Year

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Cruising in the Caribbean

There are countless ways to spend the waning moments of the current year and usher in the new year. You can enjoy a meal out with friends or family, watch the ball drop on TV, or gather at a bar with hundreds of other party goers. Many years I ask the question “Where would I like to be for the beginning of the New Year?” I’ve often thought that being on a Caribbean Cruise would be the ultimate place to welcome the new year. Cruises have become less interesting to me however I would still like to celebrate the new year in a tropical location as I have experienced every new year so far in a cold location.

As I continue to travel my list of places continues to grow. Spending the new year in Taiwan or Rio de Janeiro would be a great new experience. At least, as far as I can imagine it would be. The small amount I have read or watched about those locations peaks my interest. One place that tops my list right now is Sydney, Australia. The fireworks display they put on looks incredible to celebrate the new year. I would love to witness it in person. In addition, the Great Barrier Reef is on my list of places to see. With Australia’s summers occurring at New Year’s time this may be a great time of year to plan a trip their. Check out this video of last years display.

Hmm, I wonder if you could celebrate the New Year in Sydney, get on an airplane and celebrate the New Year again in Rio de Janeiro? Hold on while I check this out. Ya, that’s what I figured. Currently time runs faster than airplanes. If you could find a direct flight it would take 16 hours to get to Rio. It was an exciting idea to think about for a minute or so. What a memorable way that would be to celebrate the New Year! I could still celebrate the beginning of a year twice. I just need to be on one side of the time zone and then quickly go to the next time zone to celebrate again. It might be fun just to say you Celebrated New Year’s twice. What ever way you decide to celebrate the beginning of 2012 I wish you a very Happy New Year!

A Fireworks Celebration

Family Ramblings, Troy's Blog

Holiday Displays

Winter '10 019

Most years I like to add a few holiday decorations to the inside and outside of my house. Typically I will use the traditional lights to decorate areas inside and outside along with some evergreen branches, a few wreaths, and maybe some birch branches if I have access to them. This year, however, I used a few braches from our Christmas tree to decorate one container outside and also covered other areas that house plants and annuals during the summer and a couple of wreaths that the kids decorated. That was it. I guess there was less motivation to do anymore since many years we have holiday celebrations but this year we didn’t host any.

As I was reflecting on my lack of holiday decorating I began to wonder how all of this began. What was the motivation for someone to begin decorating for this holiday season. Apparently this idea of decorating for the holidays all began in Germany with using candles to decorate Christmas trees. I recall learning about early Christmas tree decorating but didn’t connect this to our outdoor décor. Once electricity was invented, the use of colored lights outside was first used by a theater to promote the opening of an opera. After that, businesses started to use this practice which eventually made its way into our homes. If you’re interested in learning more details go here….

It is very intriguing for me to think about starting out with attaching candles to evergreen trees (I can only image the number of fires that must have caused) to using thousands of colored lights placed all over our streets, businesses, and houses. These lights are now used in animatronics and set to music. After going through some videos of holiday decorations on YouTube, it’s difficult to not get inspired to decorate more.

 

Holiday Lights

General Travel Thoughts, Troy's Blog

Traveling for the Holidays

Driving Towards a Holiday Celebration

People all over the world travel at this time of year to share holidays together whether it is Las Posadas, Christmas, Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa. Additional time off from work allows us to travel further to enjoy the company of others and celebrate. A large percentage of those will be going by way of the automobile with the price of gas 8% higher than the previous year. While this may not be the highest that gas has cost it does add to the cost of traveling when you are going 50, 100, 200, or more miles away and back. Automobile travelers are not the only ones to feel these effects. Other modes of transportation feel the impact of higher fuel prices passing that on to travelers.

I’m sure that higher fuel prices has caused some to re-think their holiday travel plans but for most of us, we’re still going to get in that car or board a flight to see family and friends. We may just have to be a little more efficient in that travel to make up for the added cost of fuel. Maybe a change in the hotel room (go from king beds to queens) or spending a little less at restaurants. The kids might have to watch a movie they already have seen instead of renting or buying one they have already seen while traveling. Each member of your family could wear three layers of clothing to save on checking luggage while flying. Comfort is really not all that import while traveling is it?

For those that are unable to travel can try the next best thing. You can video chat with programs such as Skype or Facetime. It is almost as good as being there. You can be engaged in conversations and watch as others open gifts to see the smiles on their faces. This is an option many people who are unable to travel for whatever reason use. Not that many years ago we would talk on the phone and now the technology of video chatting has allowed us to feel a part of a celebration.

Water and Light Show at Longwood Gardens

If your looking for some places to see during this holiday break here are a few ideas. For many families a trip to Disney World is in order where you can enjoy lights, fireworks, and of course Mickey. For the older kids Las Vegas can be a big hit. This city is full of light all year long but for the holidays they add even more as each casino puts its best efforts forward to dazzle visitors.  A leisurely stroll through Longwood Gardens can be very relaxing as well as intrigue your creative side with all of their holiday displays. If your interested in staying overnight at a place fully decorated for the holidays check this page out.  There are holiday celebrations at many destinations however enjoying some peace at home can be satisfying as well.

Whatever your holiday plans are, we hope they are the best they can be!

Family Ramblings, Troy's Blog

Poinsettias Everywhere

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Look at All the Poinsettias I Get to Play With

Trees, glitter, and yes … poinsettias! It’s the holiday season and the atmosphere has evolved all over. I work for a company that decorates commercial buildings for these winter holidays. My specialty is poinsettias. All I do is work with these beautiful flowers to transform buildings into a holiday wonderland. The last few weeks have been exhausting both physically and mentally trying to keep everything straight for each customer.

Poinsettias Almost Ready!

Some preparations begin as soon as July when greenhouse growers begin planting poinsettias for the upcoming season. Fortunately at this time there is little to be done as many of my customers aren’t even close to deciding what they want for holiday décor so they don’t give me any orders until later. Later usually begins in September after Labor Day when people arrive at the conclusion that summer is over and the inevitable winter season is soon to follow. At this time I am just organizing these orders and filing them for about a month. Around mid-October begins the fun. This is when I begin visiting different greenhouses checking up on the poinsettia quality and strengthening existing relationships and building new relationships with those that produce these bright flowers.

Many of These Pieces Need to be Coordinated Ahead of Time

For the next several weeks my focus is on what each customer is looking for and preparing for each installation of poinsettia. As much as can be accomplished must be done ahead of time and with as much accuracy as possible because once the actual installations begin there is usually only time to concentrate on that days agenda and possibly the next day. There is no time or energy left to think about what needs to be done later in the week or the following week and maintain any sense of efficiency.

Waiting to Arrive at Their Final Destination

I lead a team of people during the holiday madness that is responsible for creating unique displays of poinsettias with the sole intent of getting peoples attention and helping to make a festive environment. Most members of this team have been doing this for several years now and all know what needs to be done and do it very well. There are people that unpack these plants and find a place to store them for a day or two while others pack them up again and bring them to their final destination. Also, there is some arrangement work to be done and there are those whose responsibility include these arrangements.

Poinsettias Mixed With Birch

As soon as all of these poinsettias are put in their place it is time to plan for their removal. While the holiday season lasts for about 5 –6  weeks, it takes about 2 weeks to install of them and another week or two to remove them so there is little time in between. Although I spend about 2 months working with poinsettias and about 8 months trying to forget about it, the simple thought about the 100,000’s of people that see and enjoy these displays makes it all worth while. In addition, after it is all over and usually before it is all over I am ready to travel and explore new places to aid in my recovery.

A Dressed Up Poinsettia

This time it will be South Florida and most likely the Keys!

Travel Review, Troy's Blog

New England Trip Re-Cap

Remembering Acadia

The first time I wrote about re-capping a trip I called it a post-mortem. Apparently that seemed a little to weird so I changed it to a re-cap. You could also call it trip analysis. What can go into a trip re-cap report? That depends on each traveler and what they want to gain out of the re-cap. I like to keep track of how much each trip costs us along with how many miles we traveled and how many pictures we took. I also try to record things that I can improve for the next trip to make it better as well as what worked well if there was something I tried differently.

A Great View During a Picnic

One of the things that I learned from our last trip was to pay closer attention to hotel location as compared to whatever sights we are planning on seeing. Our destination was Biscayne National Park and Everglades National Park. Our hotel ending up being closer to the Miami International Airport which was at least 45 minutes from either of these parks. That cost us at least 1 ½ hours that we could have used to explore the park further. This time we learned that a flashlight is a good idea to have along (see An Evening Adventure at Acadia). Also, packing a soft sided cooler is helpful when exploring a National Park. This can be used to keep water or food cold. On a earlier adventure we figured out that buying a case of water early in the trip was useful and economical. Another thing learned at Acadia was that getting a meal ahead of time and bringing it with opens up some flexibility. There are a number of National Parks without options for eating and if you intend to spend more time than a few hours at theses parks than being able to stop at your leisure and grab something to eat allows for a longer adventure. In addition, most of the time what better place to have a picnic than in the presence of the scenery and sounds of a National Park.

On the Road Again

Some of the other data that I collected:

Miles covered in an airplane: 2,248

Miles driven: 1,639

Miles walked: 13

All of these miles were covered in 8 days. We slept well during the night in order to have the energy to explore the next day. The 8th day was strictly a van ride to the airport so no miles driven or walked so taking the miles driven or walked divided by 7 gives us 236 miles traveled in a day. No, our goal is not to go as many miles as possible in a day. The goal is to experience as much as we can while the opportunity to do is present. Also, we took 587 pictures.

Different Modes of Transportation

This reminds me. I didn’t even calculate the miles on the bikes.

Family Ramblings, Troy's Blog

Another Halloween

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Halloween Fun and Creativity

Great! The one day a year when children are taught how to go around and beg for candy from strangers. So I’m not a huge fan of this event. Now, if you’re like most people when I mention this your probably rolling up your eyes, getting ready to click away because you don’t have an interest in reading about a Halloween Scrooge. I don’t have an big interest in being bothered to answer the door and give away candy only to have to do this again 2 minutes later. Are you wondering how I became this way? Yes, I did go trick or treating when I was younger and yes my children go trick or treating now. I try to not hinder their enjoyment even though I wonder how many more years I have to endure the dressing up and walking through the neighborhood freezing my hands off while the kids bother each person possible looking for candy. There is one benefit of all this. They often share their candy with me (they don’t always know this….oh, did I type that out loud?)

Pumkin Carving

As my children are growing up and my oldest is getting to the questionable age for trick or treating I am starting to remember all of the fun parts that I will miss someday. What?! I’m not a total Halloween Scrooge? NO! The part of this day that is the most enjoyable for me is the creativity that people put into it. It may take a minute or two to get into carving the pumpkins but I do have fun creating a new design and challenging myself and the children to come up with something different. It is amazing at what can be created out of a pumpkin. To see some of the best check this place out …Villafane Studios as seen on the Today Show. They are truly some of the best and most creative carving I have seen.

Bat Pumkin

People that take the time to get into full costume and put a lot of energy coming up with their costume are impressive to me. I do enjoy a great costume. I tend not to get invited to Halloween parties anymore because I don’t dress up because I’m a Halloween Scrooge. O.K. so there was this one time that I did actually dress up and had some fun doing it. My wife and I knocked on the door to the hosts and they could not tell who it was. Unsure if we belonged there they eventually let us pass as we said nothing and drove a car we had just purchased the month before so they could not tell it was someone they were familiar with. It was at least a half hour before we broke our silence and began to reveal who we were. Fortunately I don’t believe there are pictures around of that so I can deny it and continue with being a Scrooge.

            Dressing Up

Finally, people who put time and energy into creating a great Halloween landscape around their home make this event more enjoyable. For a few pictures of some outstanding Halloween landscapes click here… (There are also some cool posts about pallet furniture). Maybe I should start putting more energy into decorating outside for Halloween since my job limits how much time and energy I have available for the Christmas season. I bet if I start planning a Halloween yard in May I could come up with some ideas that the neighbors would enjoy. Scaring the older trick or treaters sounds like some fun for me and for them.  Hmm.. a few trap doors placed strategically in the yard, maybe a few ghouls flying from the trees with a few more greeting people at the driveway. It might even bring a few smiles to scare parents as they wait for the children to go to the door. Who doesn’t like to get a little scared on Halloween? O.K. so I really don’t but I know my oldest child and her friends are at the age that getting scared makes for a memorable night.

For those that like to go on adventures for Halloween there are usually a multitude of haunted houses being put on during the last few weekends in October for all to enjoy. If your interested in going further, here is a list of the 10 best places to go in the US. Another reason I don’t enjoy Halloween is because of what comes next!

Soon to Follow