Lukie @ 6 months!

This morning a new picture mail arrived on my phone -- nephew Lucas giving me his jolly little cross-eyed grin. ;-) Does he look thrilled to be turning 6 months old in a few days?! I can't believe how fast he's growing, and it's definitely hard to be so far away at these stages of his life. Since I last saw him, he's filled out considerably and taken to eating lots of solid foods. No teeth yet, but Russ and Carrie think one or two will break any day now. (When he's fussy they say he goes from "zero to pissed-off in a matter of seconds.") Fussy? With a smile like that?! lol.

Cowboys, bulls and beer

The PBR (Professional Bull Riders) event came to Jacksonville this weekend, so a group of us from work got tickets to attend. It was a good opportunity to continue my baptism into Southern activities and also to wear pigtails in public. Moll - I tried to get a picture with a real live cowboy, but unfortunately this poster was the closest we could come (seemed most of the riders were in holding backstage with the bulls before the event!).
Cowboy kisses from Lynn and Lee. ;-)

You probably can't tell by the camera-phone quality of these pics, but below is a blimp-sized inflatable yellow bull floating around the middle of the arena during half-time.

Obama speaks in Jacksonville...

... but I'm definitely not there to hear it! Here's a tip for future politico planners: If you're going to hold a historic event in a city of 1 million on a Saturday afternoon and make it free to the public, it MIGHT be a good idea to book a venue that holds more than 10,000 people. I stood in line for an hour and half down at Metro Park this afternoon only to be turned away at the gates along with at least another 100,000 disappointed ralliers (though there could very well have been more people than that, considering the enormity of the lines and the crowds!).

There were a few different lines leading into the Park that stretched like this... farther than the eye could see.

Lots of signage on the way in!

And lots of vendors hawking everything from t-shirts to buttons to hot-dogs. These guys were kind of funny... their sales pitch was, "Obama shirts! $10 a piece or two for $15, cuz we like y'all so much."

Opposition was in the air... literally. Two McCain airplanes continuously buzzed overhead pulling anti-BO banners.
I almost felt more disappointed for the kids who didn't make it inside the gates than anyone else.

I took off at 3 p.m., but THOUSANDS of people opted to stay behind and hopefully hear some of the speech from the streets and sidewalks outside the park.

More politix in Jax!

Obama is coming to the First Coast on Saturday and is scheduled to speak at Metropolitan Park over the noon hour. Though I'm still undecided (and I have no idea where Metro Park is), I will definitely make it a point to get down there tomorrow! Opinion polls show that FL voters are almost evenly split between the two parties. They are notably TICKED about the recent gas gouging and other economic issues, so it'll be very interesting to hear what kind of message B.O. crafts for us. On the off chance I'll be able to sneak my camera in, look for pics and an update soon!

Happy Friday, everyone. ;-)

Should've ditched work today...

JACKSONVILLE, FL - Sunday, September 14 - For the first time since his being nominated as the Republican presidential candidate, John McCain flew into Jacksonville Sunday afternoon to address a crowd of thousands Monday morning at the Veterans Memorial Arena.

In his "Road to Victory Rally," McCain will be joined with notable attendees, Gov. Jeb Bush and Bob Martinez, Sen. Mel Martinez, Gov. Charlie Crist and former American Idol contestant Phil Stacey.

McCain's jet flew into Jacksonville International Airport around 6:00 this afternoon. From there, McCain got into a bus headed towards a Downtown hotel.

McCain will address supporters tomorrow morning at 8 a.m. Doors will open about 6 a.m. There is no charge for admission and parking is free.

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/politics/election2008/news-article.aspx?storyid=118769&catid=221

Dog Park Club

In my ongoing mission to explore and find new activities, I recently discovered a very nice dog park out at Jax Beach. Libby and I have been trying to visit a few evenings a week -- she loves running with the other pooches and I love how tuckered out it makes her for the rest of the night!

I've observed that the whole dog park experience seems to be as much of a social time for the dog owners as it is for their furry charges. People form clusters as they kick back in plastic lawn chairs to gossip, comment on each dog, and catch up about each other's lives. Last night I mingled with a friendly group consisting of two older women and an older gentleman, who made sure to inform me of Saturday afternoon "Yappy Hour" and the upcoming annual Halloween expo (complete with a contest for the best-costumed dog). Now I always vowed to NEVER dress up a dog, but I'm actually kind of intrigued by the idea. Could be fun, right?!

Libby-Monster frolicking with Jezebel and Sid... she's good at shaking things up when the other little dogs become too complacent. ;-)

Morning @ Cape House

Most mornings I'm pretty busy running between the rooms of my apt. in an attempt to multi-task getting ready with heating up my ritual veggie omlette and corraling Libby... but this morning as I passed by my patio doors I glimpsed such a gorgeous sunrise that I was compelled to grab my camera off the desk, step out onto the deck in my fuzzy pink bathrobe and snap a couple pictures. Scenes like this almost make me say, "Hurricane Who?"

Week in review

September is in full swing, and so is hurricane season for Florida. Joy!!! Jacksonville has been fortunate so far, but other parts of the U.S. and islands in the Caribbean haven't fared so well against the weather.

Here's some of the Tropical Storm Fay damage at my apt. that still hasn't been fixed. I think the neighborhood boys who sneak into the complex to use our pools on the weekend are appreciating the enhanced access!
A view of the 6 foot breakers at Jax Beach last Friday... even though Hanna was cruising up the coast a couple hundred miles out from shore, the resulting waves and riptides were dangerous. But the surfers, shell-collectors and random on-lookers love it!

Last week we celebrated Cheryl with a luncheon at Joe's Crab Shack. I was pleased to discover that the lunch-time wait staff breaks into the same random/enthusiastic dance-a-longs I've witnessed the dinner staff do during previous dining experiences. Cha-cha Slide anyone?!

The whole crew enjoyed platters of calamari, boiled and coconut shrimp, and some spicy fried appetizers called "Great Balls of Fire."

We're down with Salt 'n Peppa.