just have to wait one more day

Tomorrow I will be waking up bright and early to go get my new car!!

Special thanks to Daniel for spending the day with me at the DMV and elsewhere.  My favorite part was when the power went out and the guy behind the window got a look of panic on his face before looking at the computer and saying, "oh, ok, no, it's still there".

But I think I've done everything by the book and I will be able to drive off the lot tomorrow with a smile on my face and a song in my heart.  Also on my sick new sound system.  : ) : ) : )

road trip

I happened to have the weekend off of work which is perfect as it's my grandfather's 93rd birthday and also Veteran's Day weekend.  I packed my bags and headed to the west coast yesterday afternoon.  It was a fairly uneventful drive, I was in traffic with this guy for a while though.

I don't know if you can see or not but his license plate was from Alaska.  I wonder if he just got that shipped down or if he actually drove it the whole way and was starting his return journey.  I wouldn't mind traveling across these great United States in a corvette though.

Last night I just hung out with my sister, we took a walk around her neighborhood and saw the sights:

We had dinner and played Scrabble before bed.  Nothing too outrageous.  Now this morning I'm hanging out with that nice guy Miller before we head out for the day.

Apparently my Grandfather had plans with his friends for his actual birthday so the family birthday celebration was postponed until tonight.  In the meantime my sister and I are headed to the beach for a walk, and then going to help my dad pick out a new sofa.  Fun fun.  Will update later.

Boca sunset

The sky was actually blood red but my iphone camera couldn't pick it up properly at all.  Still, Angely made me go out to take a picture because her phone was dead.  When I showed her that it didn't show up she insisted she could do it better, but she could not.

It was just too marvelous to be captured.  I think we all learned a valuable lesson that day.  I learned that sometimes beautiful moments are meant to be captured in your memory, not on your iphone.  And Angely learned never to look through the photos on my phone haphazardly, cause you never know when you'll see more than you bargained for.

and another

Many thanks to my friend Daniel B. for his helpful counsel this morning on the subject of my car.  As much as I would like to just go back in time and make different choices, I feel like I will at least be able to make the best choices going forward from here.

And in the midst of all this mess I haven't even been able to think about how I'm going to be up in Boca later this week.

I wonder if it's possible for my life to ever settle in to a routine.

another day

This waiting is killing me.  I go to sleep and wake up with a knot in my stomach.  I just want to know what is going to happen so I can start figuring out what my life is going to be like in the coming months.

Many thanks to all of you who have listened to my processing on the phone.  And for those of you who told me so, you were right.

unexpected sunset cruise

I was intending to pick Jed up and take him for a drive in my new benz but he had other plans.  I am not one to say no to an evening boat ride so I left the wagon in the driveway and put on my sea legs for the evening.

It was very nice, I feel fortunate to be invited on such adventures.

Bill and Jed's excellent adventure

Bill and Jed invited me to come to brunch with them at a friends house.  Silly me for not assuming that we would be travelling by boat.

I love the canals here.  I'm just finally starting to learn my way around by car but once on the canals it's like a whole new world.

And what was cool about their boat that was different than my halloween boat adventure is that Bill and Jed's boat is small enough to fit under even the shortest bridges so we could go through more of the neighborhoods as opposed to staying just in the intra coastal.  Great for peeping at people's homes.

Speaking of, the house we ended up at for brunch was actually the same one from the halloween party, and it's seriously one of the most amazing homes I've ever had the pleasure of being in. I couldn't really take pictures the night of the party because it was too dark and full of people.  Yesterday, however, I got sneak some pics with the owners approval.

Behind the giant curtains is an amazing outdoor area where we had brunch.  If I lived here I would spend every waking moment out here.  Wouldn't you?  This was the view looking out:

It's like the Golden Girls lanai for the modern man.

Coming back to this house also meant that I got to see this nice nice guy again:

I had to sneak that picture because he is apparently terribly camera shy.  When he would see me taking his picture he would give me a dirty look as he got up and walked away from me:

I LOVE HIM!

After a delicious brunch we headed back out on the boat to an area in the intra coastal known as 'the lake'.

I guess normally there are lots of people out enjoying the area but yesterday it was really just us and another boat full of hookers.  Well, we assumed they were hookers judging by their large exposed breasts.  Regardless they were my heroes.

We enjoyed a couple hours of lazily drifting on the lake before our day of brunching and booze cruising had to come to an end.

Though the drive back was swift it was also beautiful with the sun setting behind the clouds.

I don't know how I'm so fortunate to have friends that invite me on adventures like this.

Thanks guys!

: )

come for a ride with me

It's been a long couple of days.  I have a feeling today will be the longest, we'll see.

Yesterday afternoon I could feel myself reaching the breaking point so I dropped the top and went for a drive.

I went the usual route, down longboat key, stopping at bradenton beach to watch the sunset.

I even took a video of the drive over one of my favorite bridges but it seems you all will not get to witness it as I can't seem to get it to upload to my blog.  It's probably for the best as I held the camera above the windshield to try and give the best view possible, not realizing that the sound of the wind was going to be deafening.

Next time I'll be better prepared.  And from the way things have been going, next time might be in a few hours so stay tuned.

I turned in to the parking lot when suddenly...

For my entire drive to the grocery store it was just an ordinary evening sky, it wasn't until I pulled in that the sky revealed it's hidden bounty.  I'm always amazed that the sky can work like that, be completely different in different sections.  Maybe I had just gotten used to the NYC sky which is whatever you can see between the buildings.  I have forgotten how much sky you can really see when you're somewhere big and flat with nothing obstructing your view.

Last night's sunset was arrestingly beautiful, causing the parking lot to become an obstacle course of slack jawed pedestrians gazing up at the heavens as they milled in the general directions of their cars.  My initial thought was, 'wwmd' (what would maria do) but nature's beauty was able to calm me and I managed to navigate the parking lot without causing any casualties.

It's good to know that if I can't make it to the beach to watch the sunset I can just camp out in the Publix parking lot.  They should include that in their advertising.

happy birthday Scott

Thanks for letting me take you out for an afternoon of fun.

It's been a while since I had an afternoon of fun.

Today and tomorrow are going to be big days for me.
Send good thoughts please : )

made it for sunset

I think it helped that I was driving my car.  I have more control over my path of travel in my car than I do when I'm driving my grandfathers.  You kind of just have to go with the flow when you're cruising in the oldsmobile, which is fine when you're just tooting about town but frustrating when you want to pick up the pace.

So anyways, I was glad I decided to take my car out and even more glad that I thought to come out for the sunset.

I did end up getting distracted being on the phone (no surprise really) but I managed to get a few shots of the time passing.

The last time I came out for sunset but missed it and stayed in to evening I ended up getting stuck in the most annoying post sunset traffic so I was also concerned about that which meant I didn't stay much longer than this:

Which was fine, by the time I got back to my car it was dark.

Being at the beach at sunset is nice but it makes me really want to come during the day some time, especially before the water gets too cold to go in.  That's one of the things I was curious about with Ft. Lauderdale, if I would be able to swim all year round.  I wonder if I will ever find out.

raining sunshine

I've decided that dusk is the best time to drive from Ft. Lauderdale to Sarasota because you get to watch the sunset for most of the drive.

The only downside was that it was night by the time I got to Sarasota and I guess the darkness in tandem with me being distracted on the phone meant that I missed my exit and went one town to far north.

But otherwise it was a most pleasant drive.  Now I have all the things I could possibly want or need from my place down there so I can camp out up here until things are back to normal with my grandfather.

The good news is that he has been busy busy with rehab for the past few days.  I've actually gone to visit him and not even seen him as he's been so focused on his studies.  Well I saw him but he didn't see me, but it's fine anyways.  I have had more free time during the day to get some things done for myself and for his home.

It's kind of fun living in suburbia.  I felt very 'desperate housewives' when I was mowing the lawn shirtless, to the apparent approval of the older ladies that drove by and stared me down.  I would be surprised if there was anybody under the age of 50 that lives in my grandfathers neighborhood so I get looks no matter what I'm doing.

Today's agenda includes washing the cars, I'm sure it will turn in to a spectacle.  Maybe I'll make some friends...

 

when God closes a door...

I thought I could make it out to the beach to see the sunset and I did kind of but didn't make it close enough to get a good picture before the sun passed below the horizon.  I was disappointed but enjoyed the evening walk that took me in to night.

Little did I know that my ill-timed sunset walk would cause me to be in traffic on my drive home with one of my favorite Disney villains of all time:

I can only imagine it was Glenn Close

dramatic sunset

When I first got out to Siesta last night I wasn't sure if I would get much of a sunset at all because of the cloud cover.  But clouds can also make for amazing sunsets so I felt it could go either way.

It ended up being an extremely dynamic sky last night.  I probably took about 50 photographs and almost every one is completely different from the ones taken before and after.  I picked out what I think are the best of the night, and the best representation of the sunset.

It started out cool calm and collected but it wasn't long before the sun broke through the clouds and started to make it's final descent.

I really like the water's edge where it gets that pretty reflection.

It took maybe 30 seconds for the sun to break through the clouds entirely and suddenly become this brilliant light in the sky.

It felt very "walk in to the light", or like the end of Hocus Pocus.  So bright!

I mean who saw that coming?  Not me, that's for sure.  After marveling at this for a few minutes I continued on, thinking the sky had shown me all it's splendor for the evening.

I was wrong, it continued even after the sun had passed the horizon, or the horizon clouds anyways.

It was like a little encore presentation.  I especially liked the clouds trailing off to the right that look straight out of fantasia or something.

And the colors.  Oh the colors were brilliant.

As usual this hardly does it justice.  I swear there was a swath of emerald green going through the middle .  I mean, how can you argue with a sunset like that?  You just can't.

And as quietly as it started, the sunset ended.  It was like a closure sunset.

I can leave Sarasota today content with these being the images in my mind.  I am still trying not to jinx myself, I will believe it when it all happens, but I should hopefully be moving onwards and upwards today.  For now I've got to wrangle that bad cat and all his accoutrements.  Wish me luck!

: )

I really like all the birds in Florida, I can't help but smile when I see them.  Especially in situations like this where I was on a run and came around a corner to see these four guys like some kind of rowdy gang waiting in the shadows for me.

Whenever I stumble upon these sandhill cranes they stop whatever they're doing and just stand completely motionless as they watch me go by.  The only thing that moves is their heads so they can keep their peepers on me at all times.  I don't get the impression that they are wary of me, more like they are waiting for me to let my guard down so they can give me a pecking I won't soon forget.

On a less violent note I went to the beach later to watch the sunset and ended up enjoying it with these funny guys:

I love how they all line up and look like they are watching the sunset together.  Every once in a while one of them would waddle up to the surf and just scream at the ocean for a little bit before waddling back to his place.

They will also keep a watchful eye on me but it's in more of a, "please please don't make me have to move from my spot that's my favorite spot on the whole beach" kind of a way.  This of course always gets to me so I end up walking down the beach in a crazy zigzag pattern so as not to disturb any of them.  Especially the ones that are sitting down, I think I love them most of all.

I was all excited to take pictures of the sunset, which I haven't watched in a while, but once again it was no sooner than me getting to my favorite spot when I turned around and noticed the wall of dark clouds that were fast approaching the beach.  Of course I had left my top down again so I had to go back well before the sky had even begun to change colors.

I'll find time to try again though, I certainly have plenty to kill.  Besides I'll take any excuse to go to the beach and watch the birds.

goodbye beach

We got home last night from father's day dinner and the sun was still high enough in the sky that I knew I had to go out to the beach one last time before heading up to NY.  I especially feel like it's sad that I'm going to miss the sunset tomorrow, but I'm excited for the city sunset even if I will miss this beauty.

Speaking of beauty, there was a lot of it at the beach yesterday.  It was one of those nights when you feel like you've definitely made the right decision about how to spend your time.

And now I sit here at the airport getting ready to head up to new york, and I'm leaving wanting more Florida.  That's the best way to leave things I think.

haven't done one of these in a while

I feel like there are some clear themes on my blog, topics I seem to come back to again and again.  In some ways I like this, in other ways I worry that I'll run out of things to say.

But then again, it seems I never get tired of seeing the sunset, and maybe I don't have to say anything more than that.

Except one more thing.

I was thinking about what the top 5 topics actually are that I talk about on my blog the most.  I'm sure there is some way that I can look it up, but I'd rather just try to guess.  I'd go with, the detective, other nice guys, sunsets, drinking, and britney spears.  When I look back at my most recent posts that's all they've been about, and sadly when I look through the pictures I have for my next few posts, that's all they are about too.

So I hope you like all of those things as much as I do.

sunset

that is all.