Pool, Piling Pals, Perigee, Pedigree, and Pedicure

Pool - It was time to replace the pool liner so the day was spent removing the old liner and the new liner was installed. What a nice change and look.









Piling Pals - Ron and Corinne, who we met in northwest Minnesota at the beet piling site where we all worked last fall, stopped to visit us on their way traveling south in Florida. We had a great time visiting with them, meeting the horses, sharing beet piling stories and going to Springhill for the weekly car show.









Perigee - On the 10th of January the moon had its closest approach to earth in 15 years and the nearest it will be until 2016. The moon was 30% brighter and 14% wider than the run of the mill full moon.






Pedigree - Brooksville hosted the annual pilgrimage of people and their show dogs from all over the world to compete in what is considered the largest dog show in Florida. It's the annual Florida Winter Classic Cluster Dog Show which we found very interesting. It was fun to see the many different breeds of dogs, especially the Schipperke, which we had on the farm when we were kids.






































Pedicure - Larry the farrier arrived to update the shoes of the horses. They all behave so well to have their old shoes removed, their hooves trimmed and the new shoes fitted.







It has been a busy January. The winter has been colder than normal. Still warmer than what is happening back home in Iowa.

Sailing the Gulf Waters

Warm and sunny breezes drew us to the Gulf to enjoy a day of sailing. With a light breeze it was a good day to learn from Captain Tom and first-mate Denise to teach us some of the ropes of sailing. We had a wonderful day hoisting the jib, setting the main sail, and hearing only the gurgling of the water from the catamaran moving smoothly on the water at 5 knots. We barbequed hot dogs, had pickled asparagus, grillin' beans and some new Jell-O rice pudding with cinnamon. What a treat and of course a favorite of ours. On our return to the canal and the cottage to dock, we met the shrimpers heading into the Gulf to harvest their catch. We look forward to our next sailing experience. Maybe a few days on the water.

Winter Fun in Florida

Winter in Florida is fabulous. We enjoyed having Keith and Bernie from Texas visit us on their trip to the Keys for Christmas. They shared some fish they had caught while visiting family. We spend time each day tending to the horses. They each have their own personalities and are fun to work with. Speaking of work, we are able to help take care of the paddocks, clean the stable roof, do some painting, clean the pool deck, and do some yard work. All these activities get us outdoors and are things we enjoy doing. A faithful friend is Lilly, Tom and Denise's cat, who leads a cat's life.

Merry Christmas - 2008

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR.

Wanted to share the weather we are enjoying on Christmas Eve Day. The stockings are hung on the stable doors for the horses to explore. The lights are glowing as Christmas Eve approaches. We are thinking of all our family and friends that are experiencing lots of snow back home for this time of the year. We send this warm Holiday Greeting to everyone.

Florida Sunsets

Our stay at Treasure Island Beach Resort gave us the opportunity to enjoy the sunsets over the Gulf of Mexico. We took many different photos, however, wanted to share what we feel are the best ones each evening during our stay, December 13 - 19. By the way, the weather was terrific.

Footprints in the Sand

We found the foot prints left in the sand by humans to be most interesting and different. The first photo is actually our foot prints as we started our walk on the beach. Sort of reminds us of the foot prints of the astronauts as they landed on the moon. There are small barefoot prints and foot prints of people walking in all directions. There are foot prints of many different styles of foot wear worn on the beach. Some here show tennis shoes, sandals, loafers, flip flops, Crocs, and even high heels. You see where people are going in different directions. Some are made while walking, some running, some in a hurry and some on a leisure stroll. All are made while enjoying the beach.