HAPPY FATHER'S DAY

Happy Father's Day, to my Dad (pictured here from 12/09) and my son, who is quite the Dad himself.

Home in Port Charlotte
82* with scattered t-storms

Weekends at home...what a concept! 

Last week I participated in our company's annual safety awareness day, where we award 5 lucky employees with a brand new Ford Ranger pickup truck.  This was my third year of holding the honor of making the secret delivery; timing it to the exact moment the winner's name is announced at one of over a hundred parties taking place around the country.  Thursday I participated in a crane safety class in Orlando and I made it home Thursday night.  Friday was filled with several hours of conference calls and paperwork in my home office.  We also received a huge thunderstorm with about 2" of rain.

Saturday was yardwork day.  I began by changing the oil/filter in my tractor and getting the blades sharpened.  I have 56 hours on it already.  I took the used motor oil to the Charlotte County recycling/transfer station.  That is one of the best things about my county.  This facility is 2 miles from my house.  I can dispose of oil, hazardous waste, appliances, yard waste, tires, you name it.  All included in my property taxes.  It makes it very convenient to do the right thing and properly dispose of crap.  I mowed 3 lawns, including my own.  The yard is looking good, although we still have 3 different kinds of grass growing.  The weeds are well under control, which is a comfort.  It's time to do my annual palm tree trimming but I will have to put that on the back burner for now.

Sunday was Father's Day and I mostly recovered.  I received phone calls from all of my kids, which is all I could ask for.  I called my own Dad and he always appreciates that.  I spent a couple of hours booking hotels for the next two weeks of business travel.  I leave Monday morning for Pittsburgh, where I will be on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.  After work Wednesday I will drive 6 hours to Old Bridge, NJ for work Thursday.  Then it's a 5 hour drive to Boston for a very long Friday.  Saturday I fly home from Boston to Tampa.  I know, weekends off...RIGHT?

My latest book is called "My Old Man and the Sea; a father and son sail around Cape Horn."
17,000 miles in a 25' sailboat with no motor.  They bought a hull and built the rest from the ground up.  They sailed her from Connecticut to Florida; to the Bahamas then Jamaica; across the Caribbean to Panama; through the canal and into the Pacific; the Galapagos Islands to Easter Island; around Cape Horn in the Southern Ocean and back up the Atlantic to home.  Oh yeah, they live to tell and write this book.  A twenty five footer?  Wow.  That's smaller than my current boat.