two-car garage

How about this two car garage. But wait a minute! I think that you are suppose to drive the car in from the end which would make it a one-car garage. I think that there is some creative thinking going here by driving the cars in from the side. Now two cars can be parked where only on car could be parked before.

Yeah, I see it. The back end of the car sticks out when the car is parked facing in from the side. But what the heck, you can't have everything. Nothing is perfect. At least the rains will wash the back end of the car. What about the front end of the car you ask? How will the rains wash it? Just back the car in silly, so that the front end of the car sticks out. Did I give anyone any ideas? Lew

military exhibits

I went to a community center near the house and there were people who dress in period dress and military uniforms from different periods of time. I take my hjat off to these people who did this because it was so hot and their uniforms looked to be made out of very heavy material. They were participating in an exhibition of military memorabilia. This is a picture of a Gatling gun that was on display.

Just crank the handle and fire away. As you can tell from the shine on the brass, the weapon is in superfine condition. Inside the community center they had countless items and artifacts on display.

Plus there were so many people in military outfits strolling around. They were very nice and would explain their particular uniform and answer all questions.

I think that the biggest exhibit was a patrol boat from the Vietnam war era.

There were so many pictures that I only included very few in this blog. I hope that you enjoyed them. Take care and go out and visit a museum this week-end. Lew

crazy cat

We have this cat that seems to love the heat. She is a long hair cat which I thought would make her even warmer. She prefers to be outside in the heat of the day instead of in the nice cool air conditioned house. She likes to lay in the garage which is even hotter.

She comes in to eat around noon-time and as soon as she is finished eating she begs to go back outside again. Plus she is very persistent, she will beg and beg with her meows until we let her out. Why on earth would she want to be out in that heat. We also have a little chihuahua dog and he can't waits to get back into the house. But not the cat, it's the heat that she prefers. She would probably love it at the beach on a hot sunny day.

The cat was suffering from fleas a few months back. The veterinarian gave (sold) us a teeny tiny plastic tube of a liquid medicine that we apply once a month on her back between her shoulder blades. No more fleas. It is a mini-miracle. We do the same for the dog and his flea problem is also gone. Everyone have a nice day. I just wanted to mention about the cat preferring the intensely hot summer heat to the coolness of the house. Does anyone have any ideas why this is so? Take care. Lew

attack of the caterpillars

Mary discovered that something has been eating on her Azalea plants. The plants were being denuded of leaves. All that was left was little stumps that looked like little spikes.

This bush was once covered with lush leaves. Whatever happened to the plant, happened quickly. We looked and looked but couldn’t find anything that could have done this. Then we looked some more and found the culprit. Caterpillars! About two dozen of them. They just seemed to blend in with the plant stems.

Looks innocent enough except for having a full belly of azalea leaves. We picked them off of the plant and took them to the other side of the yard and turned them loose on some wild grape plants. I got to photograph this one on a piece of white paper. But he was camera shy and didn’t like to have his picture taken. How do I know that? Because he reared up on his legs ready for a fight. I can’t help but wonder what kind of butterfly that he will pupate into. Maybe Seaside or Villager might know. Any ideas?

Just look at him. He is ready to do battle. After the picture taking, he joined his buddies amongst the grape leaves. Just to think that someday this caterpillar will metamorphose into a beautiful butterfly. Actually there should be around two dozen butterflies fluttering around the yard. Have a good day and keep an eye out for the nature that is all around us. Viva Gaia. Lew

monkey see, monkey do

Since Seaside featured a car in their blog, I decided to do the same. Sort of like "monkey see, monkey do" or keeping up with the Jones's.

This is Mary at the Hialeah Speedway racetrack in Miami. She is posing with the winning driver of the main race. It was a lot of fun going to the races. These are the small town type races. I like these better than the big NASCAR races. With these hometown races you get to sit real close to the track and all of the action. And the roar of the engines as a pack of cars come by is amazingly loud. There is a similar track here in Orlando in Bithlo which is east of Orlando. I haven't been to this racetrack yet because it is such a long drive to it and I hear that it is so popular that the crowds are large. Next weekend try something different to do and go to a local race track. It will definitely be exciting. Have a nice day and a day free of tarballs. Lew

colorful tree

What a magnificent tree. The picture doesn’t do justice to the intensity of the color. This tree is several blocks from the house. Where else but in Florida would you find a tree of this beauty. Logan? No. Long Island? Nope. Orlando? Yes. Not only can you have a tree like this growing on your front yard, but you can work inside a tree if you like. This is a tree at Disney that I use to work inside of.

This is the Tree of Life and inside the tree is a large theater showing a 3D movie called It’s Tough to be a Bug.

Here is Mary posing at the entrance of a winding path that leads to the base of the tree and the entrance to the interior of the tree where the theater is. I always felt like the Keebler elves who make Keebler cookies inside a tree. Actually the picture of the Keebler tree printed on the package of cookies looks very much like the Tree of Life. Get a package of cookies and see for yourself. And then sit down with a glass of milk and eat the cookies (after being dunked in milk). Have a nice day and enjoy the cookies. Lew

the fountain

Here is Mary posing in front of a magnificent fountain in Lake Eola public park. This park is soooo pleasant just to walk around and take in all the scenery and feed the scampering squirrels.

There is something about fountains with the sound of the falling water splashing into the water below that is calming and peaceful. But the main reason for having the fountain in this blog is to say that it is summer and there are beautiful fountains everywhere. But what about the throes of winter? Is the water frozen over with ice? Is there fallen snow piled high on the fountain’s centerpiece? Not here in Orlando. This fountain will look exactly the same and Mary and I will enjoy it’s beauty as we pass by it on our way to have lunch at a trendy sidewalk cafe.

I don’t know why but I am always mesmerized by the shimmering blue water. Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to go into this crystal clear blue water and splash around? It is so nice to be able to enjoy these activities, of a walk in a sunny park year ‘round. When those yankees up north are up to their “you-know-what” in snow, Mary and I will be relaxing having a casual lunch at the outdoor cafe watching the joggers and strollers pass by. Have a pleasant day. After all, it is summer throughout the nation. But old man winter with his snow and ice is coming (only not to Orlando though). Lew