THE LAST SUPPER

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Home in Port Charlotte

Record high of 93, low of 68, brief shower at 5PM

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The fishing on Saturday was slow and small. Nothing worth photographing but I caught a Jack Cravelle, Catfish and a Needle fish (freaky too, you should google it). Rolando caught a couple of undersized Grouper, a Cat and a Perch. The good news was that it was a beautiful day to be on the water. The boat ran good and the wind/waves cooperated all day. We ran 53 miles.

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We came home to a wonderful dinner prepared by our wives, Kathy and Kathy. I couldn't resist taking a picture of my plate before digging in. Fillet Mignon, pasta with Pesto, accompanied by those giant lobster tails we had purchased in Key Largo. I introduced Rolando to my other sailing buddy, Sailor Jerry's Navy Spiced Rum. This was likely our last supper together, as neighbors, since the economy has forced them to give up their second home, next to ours. We did it up nicely that night but we are sad to see them go.

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Sunday I completed our fall yard renovations but installing new decorative mulch in our planter beds. The turf grass is drought stressed from our record high temperatures and lack of measurable rain but the red mulch really dresses up the landscape. We planted two new Coconut Palm trees, taking the place of a bamboo and an under performing queen palm. These two coconuts were "rescued" by me off the lake bank of a golf course in Palm Beach. We planted them in pots and they sprouted and really took off. Monday morning we awoke to find one of them ripped out of the ground. The short list of suspects includes a family of raccoons living along the canal. I knew they were trouble when I saw them wearing bandit masks.

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It's Monday night and I'm packed for my first ever trip to Puerto Rico. I will drive to Miami tomorrow morning a catch a 3 hour flight to San Juan. I am teaching two days worth of landscape safety classes and equipment certifications. Our company opens up shop there, officially on November 1st. November will take me to more new territory: Boston, NY/NJ, Philly, and back to the Atlantic coast of Virginia, then working my way northeasterly across Virginia for a week.

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There are two pieces of good news. One, I'm so busy because I'm still employed. Two, I have 2 separate weeks of vacation wrapped around that November schedule.