Friday Meanderings

Just some random photos I snapped in the past week…

monkey bar
What is left of Riverside’s Monkey Bar. I think the kitchen is still there on the second floor. The new place is supposed to be open before scallop season–July 1st.

pelicans

palm trees

bottlebrush
Everytime I walk by this bottlebrush tree I get swooped by hummingbirds. Unless I have a camera with me. Hummingbirds do not like the paparazzi!
anhinga
I don’t often take a photo that shows the mist rising from the canal. The light was perfect and there was an anhinga posing for me!

I’m off to North Dakota on Monday.  I know.  It’s cold. It could snow. Everyone has already told me.  Numerous times.

But, anyhow, next week there may be a few snaps of the grandkids!

Have a great weekend,

Kathy

Friday Meanderings

Ohhhh.

It’s Friday.

And let me tell you why I don’t always get a post up in time to actually publish it on Friday.  (Although you know I have a lot to meander about!)

I’m at the Old Homosassa Learning Center almost the entire day on Wednesday and Thursday.

Thursday is the hardest because it starts with an hour and half of yoga, then a mad dash home for a shower and lunch.  Back by 12:15 for Sew Cool! Workshop. Followed by two hours of volunteering with the after-school program.

Not complaining. That’s what I want my retirement to be.

But sometimes I just don’t want to sit down.  Have a glass of wine.  And fall asleep.  Oh wait, that’s what I’m doing now!

The kids at the Learning Center were particularly trying this week. Probably cause they were excited that…..

Next week is Spring Break.  Did you hear all of our volunteers go WHOOP!

Sad. But. True.!

Three volunteers plus our after-school coordinator.  Three days a week. And we are all wiped out by the end of those two hours.

Yes. I need a wee vacation.

And let’s continue talk about happy news!

Shrimpapalooza!  Saturday!  Parade! Beads!

SO MUCH FUN!

So many other things going on.  This is Banjo Camp weekend.  I’ve gone three years.  Decided not to go this year.  A little sad.

It’s also “Mermaid weekend”.  That’s when all my mermaid friends get together in Cedar Key for the art show.  (Yes these are real mermaids. From Weeki Wachee! Not my imagination!) Thought I’d go up on Sunday but right now I’m leaning towards sleeping in then having a Bloody Mary!

But I’m staying home so I can go to the Shrimpapalooza on Saturday.

If you lived here.  You. Would. Too.

Tim Dorsey. Famous Florida Writer. Is. The. Grand. Marshall. of the parade.  Which is mostly golf carts and local people!  WOO-HOO!

2015 Shrimpapalooza
OH NO! It’s a Shrimp Boil!

Lab

Shrimpapalooza 2013
Wow! Those are some cute kids!
Shrimpapalooza 2013
Hey, that’s Kathy Beck! She must be famous!

Shrimpapalooza 2013

And there’s a festival afterwards!

We’ll be at the Old Mill Tavern for Biscuits, gravy, and Bloody Mary’s at 8 am.  Parade starts at 10 am.

See you there!

Friday Meanderings

I didn’t post last Friday because my network hard drive crashed.  Pieces everywhere–not really.  Very sad.  And I hadn’t backed it up since the middle of December.  Heavy sigh.  Live by PC. Die by PC.  I’ve spent some time on the phone with first level techs who told me to do everything I had already done.  (Once upon a time I was a network specialist so I’m not clueless)  Now I’m waiting for a call back from second level tech that will tell me that the drive is bad and send it back for a brand new replacement. Which I can’t do because there is data on there that I’m not sharing with our friends in India.  Heavy sigh.  Live by PC.  Die by PC.  Now I’m looking at cloud based storage.  And I had all my photos for the past few months on the card in the camera so I was able to retrieve those so it’s not a total loss!

Okay.  On to better stuff.

The squirrels are in retreat since Terry has covered up every possible spot that they could chew through.  They still run across the office roof sounding like tiny elephants in full charge.

The Old Homosassa Heritage Council has a big event coming up– “Cocktail Hour for the Tower”.  My friend Connie is running it and has it amazingly under control.  She is very detail oriented plus an experienced caterer and pulled this together in a very short time frame.  This will be FUN!  Almost all the tickets have already been sold!

Cocktail Hour

Sad News.  The Yardarm and Monkey Bar closed down on Tuesday.  Locked the doors and sent everyone home!  This 50 year old restaurant/bar had significant damage from the last hurricane plus sitting right on the Homosassa River the foundation has rotted away. The owner says that they will replace it with an outdoor structure by scallop season.  I probably haven’t been there for two years so, while I felt bad that another local landmark was being replaced, I didn’t think it would effect me.  Well.  It does.  A group of us went to the Old Mill for dinner on Wednesday and couldn’t get a seat. We ended up at the shiny new Margarita Grill.  It’s on the other side of the river–on the other side of the bridge!  Surprisingly, we got parking and a table to seat us all.  Guess 8 o’clock on Wednesday is the time to go!

Friday Meanderings
That’s Tommy Piliourous, the owner, setting something on fire.

The food was good.  Just like the old restaurant before it burnt down.  There is outside seating but it was a little chilly that night.

Mentioning the “bridge”, it’s been one lane for quite some time now. (Which has caused at least one medical emergency)  I can’t remember when it started.  Supposed to be done this month!  There was even an article in the newspaper a few weeks ago with an official quoted as saying February 2018.  Ha! Maybe February 2019. They haven’t even finished the first lane and will have to divert traffic over to it when its done and then work on the other lane.  They’ve had all kinds of issues–starting with an osprey making it’s nest on one of the cranes.  They are protected.  Just can’t move a nest!  Then the water lines burst washing out a lot of the ground around the foundation.  And they issues driving the pilings in.  More to come in the future on that subject!

The ukulele group is growing.  I was calling it the Ukulele Ladies and Laddies just because I like to say it, but someone referred to it as the Homosassa Ukers.  Funny?  So that’s who we are now! Playing uke is relatively easy–not like picking a banjo.  I just wish I could sing!

Friday Meanderings
The empty seat is mine. 14 ukers!

Last big announcement.  This is an event still in the making.  Haven’t even got the graphic done yet.  The 2nd Annual Old Homosassa Community Day!  April 7, 2018.  Put it on your calendar.  There will be a giant yard sale in the Homosassa Civic Center with all proceeds going to the Old Homosassa Heritage Council to paint the water tower.  The American Legion 166 will be having a hog roast and poker run–proceeds going towards getting a building for them.  Open mike on the stage–the ukers will be making their debut.  Gil Watson, local artist, will be setting up an artist and farmer’s market.  Our local community groups will have information booths.  The Homosassa Civic Club is sponsoring this event.

Okay.  Enough for today!

Have a great weekend.  Enjoy the commercials and halftime at the SuperBowl!

Kathy