Life comes at ya fast

I left Michigan on Oct 28th and spend three great weeks in Texas, mostly in a funky eclectic RV park in downtown south Austin, which was Pecan Grove RV Park.  Also got to go to one of my favorite state parks, Inks Lake (pictured) and took Amphi in the water during a rather nice day.

My good friend Gayla from Michigan had a stroke and so I came back to see if I could be of some help. Together, me and some Angels are working to help my friend recover. Gayla is one of the nicest, most generous people you could have the pleasure to know. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers!

Yesterday we got the first major blizzard of the year here in Michigan. I took a few shots including the night time pic on the rear deck with my new buddy, Keesha. Also, sadly the Starship is cold and frozen, waiting for the next time we can roll down the highway together.

Spanky has suffered a back injury and is confined to quarters (fisher price baby model) and is on steriods and muscle relaxers. He needs your thoughts and prayers too!

Please take care of those you care about and I will do the same!

Doxie Halloween Party & Michigan Football

Yesterday was a great day - except for that embarrassing loss to Michigan State. Gotta be fair, you guys did play a better game! Thanks to Portage Lake Yacht Club and staff for providing such a great waterfront spot to watch the game!

Spanky went to Gina's annual halloween party for doxies and it was amazing to see how well all these little guys got along together! Gina raises these little sweethearts and if you ever want to buy one of these great dogs, I recommend Gina. You can find her at http://www.gmdoxies.com/

Wonderful weather this weekend, a true gift! Amphi enjoyed some water time on the chain, and with 84 degrees expected today on 10-10-10, gonna have to do it again!

September - Where did the summer go?

Fall in Michigan - When you live where there are defined seasons, it is amazing all the changes that occur when one season ends and another begins. Summer is over, no matter how much you wish otherwise!

School is back in session, folks are pulling boats and chopping firewood, the sun is lower in the sky, trees are changing and temps are dropping, you still get warm days but the water is cold, football is big news and college teams Michigan and Michigan State are having a awesome run so far!

Michigan is still in deep trouble. The report this week is that in this (Livingston) county alone, there now are over 3,000 abandoned or foreclosed properties. But still, life goes on, and the rythmm of fall activities continue as they always have.

It was a fantastic summer here this year for me. I was able to spend a lot of time with friends and family who matter. A lot of time also spent on the water which will always be my favorite. My little buddy Spanky continues to do well and to touch people wherever we go.

I did have some difficulties but the outpouring of support that I did not know I had make me believe that all will be well in the end.

Soon it will be time for loading up and hitting the road. Escaping the winter snow and ice is a wonderful blessing for me, but as soon as the trees start to bud in the spring, I will be back, Michigan is always home!

Amphicar Rides - Rent a Amphibious Amphicar

Those who know me, know how much Spanky and I enjoy giving rides in our Amphicar!

To share this experience, we have created several programs to offer this as a service for your next private party or company outing! We are also looking for a great corporate sponsor. We will travel anywhere and look forward to some awesome adventures and big smiles!!!

For full details, please go to our website - http://www.amazingone.com/

Invasive Species - Purple Loosestrife & Asian Carp

Summer is speeding right along! Lots of really HOT days and fun on the water, with memorable sights like this balloon visit. My son Mark has been in Austin, TX for two weeks, and John will be leaving for there shortly. It has been great to spend so much time with my boys this summer, and look forward to seeing them in Texas this winter.

I am so fortunate to be able to spend a lot of time at my wetlands property here at the lake. The wetlands are so beautiful to enjoy and study as they change during the warm season. That cool white sphere is the bloom on my button bushes here!

One problem here is an invasive species known as Purple Loosestrife. PL takes over wetlands, choking out the native plants, and ultimately changing the habitat so it is much less desirable to all the birds, fish, insects and other creatures who live here.

PL is also known as the beautiful killer. Many people who thought it is so beautiful planted it in areas adding to its rapid spread. It is now illegal to plant or possess this invasive species.

The answer now comes from Michigan State University who after many years of study found the safe solution. A small beetle known as Galerucella has been introduced and slowly is saving our wetlands from this major problem. The beetles are host specific meaning all they will eat is PL, they are now spreading across the state and huge progress is being noted. I have a strong interest in this program and will be attending a MSU workshop this month.

Another huge problem concerning invasive species is the asian carp. The picture above shows just how bad it can get. They have no natural predators and grow to 4 foot long weighing up to a 100 pounds! If they get in the Great lakes, they will displace all our perch, walleye, and trout, by eating all the food supply. Unfortunately, there seems to be a lot of foot dragging by officials about implenting the permanent solution - cutting off the Mississippi from the Great Lakes.

Our new world is a mixing bowl of all species and the system of checks and balances is being severely tested!

Interesting problems and challenges that we face!

Summer, Swans, and Day 44 Macondo

Wow, another month has gone bye! The weather is being very nice in Michigan and the Amphicar is being used a lot! Pictured above are my sons and Mark's new girlfriend, Angie on the chain of lakes.

On my lake, the swans are raising their young teaching them all they need to know. The male swan is extremely protective and can have quite a bad attitude as this male goose found out. Normally a male goose is pretty tough himself, but he didn't stand a chance against this new Dad.

My post last month was dire concerning the gulf coast oil disaster and time proves it more so! Today is day 44 of the well Macondo's failure and it has become the greatest ecological disaster in our history. Pensacola reports oil on the beaches today and it will continue to dump millions more gallons and spread to more states, killing their marshes, wetlands, and beaches. Some scientists say there is enough oil under pressure in the deepwater horizon block to gush for 7 years at this rate!

Hurricane season started yesterday and is predicted to be above normal activity. A large hurricane will churn the oil that is hanging out there submerged to the surface and the storm surge will push it all inland covering everything with oil. It won't be pretty and it will change the way we live.

What's the bottom line? If you don't have the technology to control a well at this depth, you had no business drilling it in the first place!!!!!!

Don't think we won't all pay for this in so many ways. They lowered the gas price a bit to make you feel better and take the pressure off, but this disaster will lead to 5 dollar gas next year and the beginning of serious change to our fossil fuel dependence.

A sorry state indeed. I leave you with a sunset pic from my beach!

May in Michigan and Gulf Coast Disaster

It is so good to be in Michigan and catch up with all my family and friends!

Spanky also is catching up on lots of affection from his best friends.

I am shocked at the magnitude of what is happening with the oil disaster in the gulf coast. Having just spent a month along the gulf, I can truly imagine the effect this will have on the entire region. This is not a leaking ship that will eventually empty, this is a gusher that will continue beyond what your mind can even grasp right now.

We are all to blame! To believe we will pay 3 bucks a gallon to continue our fossil fuel dependent life style has allowed this to happen. Do you know there are over 30,000 off shore wells in the gulf and at night the lights out there on the rigs make it look like a large city. This is not over and will happen again and again, it is just a matter of time. I sure share the guilt, when the Starship is moving, it sucks its unfair share of this liquid gold!

My African Queen boat was leaking a very small amount of oil last year so I have a major project going to rebuild my drive line and outdrive. This job makes me feel I am at least doing something, however small it may be!

Here in Michigan, it is springtime! Farmers are planting the fields and nature is unfolding its special magic! And at my beach, I am glad to report that the purple martins have returned!

Back in Michigan

Well, I did it! This trip was 160 days and 6,574 miles and now am back in Michigan!

It is so great to spend some time with my sons, and the family and friends that I have been able to track down so far. Spanky seems to remember his favorite people and takes running back into them as a normal thing. Everyone has lots of stories to tell and it seems all have a good attitude with the great spring weather. Today was 70, tomorrow is to be 80, and this great weather improves everyone's attitude coming off a long northern winter!

It is definitely serious springtime here, very green with lots of trees in full bud. My spot at the lake fared well and am glad to report the corkscrew willow and red maple planted last year are doing great as well!

Please accept my thanks to everyone who helped make this last trip so good for me. All the fine people I met on the road, as well as those friends and family (you know who you are!) who kept in contact with me during my trip thereby helping me keep my sanity!

I am very appreciative of all the wonderful people in my life, and my wandering means I am always away from someone I care about a lot. The good news is, I will be back!!!!!!

Springtime in Tennessee

They call them the Smoky Mountains and driving through Georgia into Tennessee in the rain, thats just what they looked like yesterday!

I am in Athens, Tennessee and the signs of springtime are everywhere! Lots of trees are flowering, and green is everywhere! And yes, some people have already cut their grass.

Today I looked up a old time Mopar dealer on my list, and spent the day looking through his old inventory for gems. I just love going through NOS (new old stock) parts. They were built in the USA back in the day when our manufacturing and quality really meant something. Plus they have a certain good smell, must be the old cardboard boxes!

Of course, I wasn't the first one to look this warehouse over, we say there are no 45 year old virgins left! But I was able to find and buy quite a few old special Mopar muscle car parts!

After a successful day, it is time to put a few miles on, heading north.......

Leaving the gulf coast of Florida

I have spent a few more days here back on the gulf coast in little fishing villiages. It is a interesting place and I have met many of the local people here. They are all pretty much laid back without a lot a fire burning.

These folks, and I will respectively call them rednecks are ekking out a living fishing, crabbing, and oyster shucking. Many are living in sad little campers, shacks, or houseboats. I met some who harvest worms to make ends meet. They go out in the swamps, and put a wood stick in the ground. Then they "play" a metal bar across the wood which causes vibrations to bring the worms out of the ground.

If you ever wanted to build the ultimate cooking smoker, pictured is a design that works really well! The flavored smoke goes through the outside tubes. The tubes inside are higher than the bottom so you can pour in a few inches of water in the bottom. This evaporates during cooking keeping your meat very moist. Pictured was my neighbor Steve, who fed me the best ribs I think I have ever had!

One thing that bugs me here - and I mean that literally - are these sand gnats! This time of year they are terrible, they are so small they come right through your screens. Guess I am a wuss, but I left a beautiful spot on the water as they were eating me up!

I sure am missing my sons, family, and friends! So, I have decided to start back early, and am going to start a slow trek north bound today. I leave you with another great Florida sunset!!

South Florida

I just spent 5 great days in south Florida near Port Charlotte.

The first photo is of my good friend Captain Dick from Howell at the wheel of his Bennington. This is a cool pontoon boat with a 150 horse motor that runs a amazing 45 miles an hour!

The second photo is his lovely wife, Barb (and Spanky) when we were coming back from an enjoyable long cruise. These fine folks have a beautiful house right on the canal. Most of the nice homes here, like theirs, have a lanai screened room with pool and a boat lift a few feet away so they can really enjoy the Florida weather! It is a great location, as they can travel by boat up the river, into the intercoastal, then out in the gulf to all points beyond. Their good friends Tom and Shirley (also from Michigan) were very gracious hosts to me, allowing me to park the Starship at their home during my visit!

The third picture is just to show you, wherever Spanky goes, he is always adding new members to his fan club!

If you know me, you know my love of Amphicars, and my continued quest to find the remaining ones. The last two photo's are of one I found in south Florida. A perfect example of why you should never drive your car into salt water! Sadly, this one will never swim again.

What a wonderful week, but time to hit the road again. On the way north, slowly............