Local Critters

South Florida is filled with an array of wonderful wildlife, often just outside your door (we hope).

This pair of Sand Hill Cranes made themselves at home in our front yard.


This little frog found his way, somehow, on to the vacuum hose in our pool.


This bald eagle and his mate live about a half mile south of us.


Somewhat rare White Pelicans gather on the nearby Indian River.

It was really cold this day on the lake behind our house and it looks like these guys are just trying to stay warm. So were we, for that matter.

The Norths Come East

Nikki's cousin Marty Snowdon North and her hubby Mike came for a visit on their way from San Francisco to Boca Grande. They were our first overnight guests in the guest room which had just recently been magically transformed from its earlier status as Main Storage Room. We had a great time touring the sights of Vero Beach and dining at the Ocean Grill with its stunning view and equally stunning interior decor -- eclectic in the extreme! Please see http://www.ocean-grill.com/Favorite-Photos.html. for some pics of the place.

Lunch with Old Friends

On our way back home from celebrating Mom's birthday in September we stopped in Newport, RI for lunch with Niels and Ann West, whom we have known since our days at Clark in the mid-sixties. Niels is Danish (and a godfather to Brian) and Ann is Irish. Both are very dear to us, and we see them much too rarely.



After lunch we took a walk around the area and came across this really cool sculpture -- very location appropriate!

The Move to Vero Beach - Phase 1

The South Hills Movers arrived on Sept. 28 to get everything organized for the packing of the van the next day.

The result was room after room of tightly packed boxes and tagged furniture.

The loading begins. Actually, this is van #2, the one from yesterday having taken care of the stuff in the storage locker. When they finished loading from the house they had to go back to their warehouse and unload both vans onto the monster van which would make the trip to Vero Beach. On the way they also dropped off the antique piano at Tony and Holly's house in VA.

The movers arrived at our house in Vero Beach right on time -- in fact 20 minutes early. Jim and his son Dave were teriffic, handling everything professionally and with great care.

Nikki checks the inventory as boxes and furniture are brought in.

The kitchen became the staging area.

The guest room became the storage area.

Poor Gramma Bessie -- the indignity of it all! But she made the trip in good shape and is safe in her crate for the time being.

Dave's office.

Nikki's office.

The garage -- room for only one car at this point.

The move-in took 9 hours. The unpacking, well, that's another story.

A Hero of Ours!

Jim Alexander is a very big hero of ours and a man both Nikki and I admire and cherish. In his early life (around 1940) he sailed from Australia to New York with 3 others in a small sailboat with no motor and no communication equipment. Just think about Tierra del Fuego and you will agree that this is a man with True Grit, a Rooster Cogburn of our time. His career was in the newspaper business so he knows the English language and how to use it. Refreshing, eh? In early September he celebrated his 97th birthday. He also gets out on the golf course a couple of times a week. I enjoy playing with him in spite of his constant complaining that he can't hit the ball very far any more. I don't care!

His wonderful daughter Jeannie joined in our dinner party for Jim, as did Henry and Nancy Armstrong.

A Day at Fallingwater

In mid-September our dear friends John and Jessie Depasquale came for a visit. They had never seen Fallingwater, Frank Lloyd Wright's gem located just a half hour drive away. So off we went, cameras in hand.

Even hidden in the woods, the first view is quite spectacular.

The view from the bridge.


There wasn't much water falling, ...... so we went to nearby Ohiopyle to see some really falling water at the falls of the Yough River. It was because of these falls that George Washington abandoned this potential route to Fort Duquesne when he was scouting for the British.

Ohiopyle is also along the Great Allegheny Passage (see above, or is it below?) rails to trails path from Cumberland, MD to Pittsburgh. Here we are posing on the High Bridge just downstream from Ohiopyle.

It was a great day, indeed! We are so lucky to have old friends such as the Depasquales.

Sunrise at Hopewell

A beautiful sunrise on a September morning. This view is from the deck by my office.

And look who was up early as well.