A to Z Challenge 2016: Sunsets

I love the sunsets into the Gulf of Mexico. First one has some scenery. The second one just beach.

Below is one from one of my favorite spots..



I will leave you with this one..

A to Z Challenge 2016: The Revenant

Last month my wife and I were driving around and decided to watch a movie. She goes The Revenant is playing isn't that a movie you want to see? True enough I had mentioned wanting to see the movie before. I didn't know much about the movie besides what I saw on the trailer. I knew it had won some awards and had a bear in it.



Trailer for the movie..

The award winning movie was just released on DVD on April 19th so that makes this post more timely. I did enjoy the movie though it was a bit gruesome for my wife so it was not the ideal date movie. That being said my wife did continue to watch it.

I thought the cinematography was incredible. The story line was strong. I am curious to read the novel by  Michael Punke that the movie was based on. The movie had the outdoor surviving adventure which appeals to me. The story line appealed to me. To me the movie was good and I would recommend it. That being said it is rated R for reason.

Did you see the movie? What are your thoughts on the movie? Did you read the book? If you read the book would you recommend it?

Thanks for visiting I will be back with a new post soon.

A to Z Challenge 2016: Quick Sand

The A to Z Challenge keeps rolling along and at this point in our adventure I was thinking we need Quick Sand. It adds to any adventure. Check out this scene from The Princess Bride...

Here is an interesting experiment with Quick Sand...

Bear Grylls shows us how to survive Quick Sand...

Quick Sand appears to be sticky situation!

A to Z Challenge 2016: Pearl Jam

Last week I made a crazy trip to Jacksonville mainly centered around seeing Pearl Jam. Pearl Jam had never performed in Jacksonville (a link to an article about that) and the last time I caught the band in concert was at The Tibetan Freedom Festival 18 years ago.

Here is the opener from that show, a long time ago at RFK....

  The show I went to on Wednesday received rave review in the local press and by Jambase. The show was much different. It was in a much smaller venue, the band like me is older, Pearl Jam played a lot longer.

Pearl Jam on stage...





Below is the setlist...

• Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town
• Mind Your Manners
• Hail Hail
• Last Exit
• Lightning Bolt
• Nothingman
• Army Reserve
• Given to Fly
• Rival  
• Setting Forth  
• Corduroy
• Even Flow
• Of the Earth
• Glorified G
• Unthought Known
• Let the Records Play
• Spin the Black Circle
• Porch

Encore

• I Won't Back Down  
• I Am a Patriot  
• Just Breathe
• Jeremy
• Ghost  
• Do the Evolution
• Better Man  

Encore

• Smile
• Once
• Black  
• State of Love and Trust
• Alive
• Rockin' in the Free World  
• Yellow Ledbetter
• The Star-Spangled Banner  

Setlist from SetlistFM via Jambase.

Pearl Jam played close to three hours so they certainly put in the work!

Here is how they ended the show...

My favorite song by Pearl Jam is "Alive"

It was a great time to catch up with family, a friend and a show. I just needed more time for the trip!

A to Z Challenge 2016: O is for Osprey

Today I am going to post about one of my fishing buddies. Usually I fish with the Blue Herons which I have blogged about before.

Ospreys like to choose their spots wisely...

In a lot of areas they migrate, where I live they stay year round. Here is a video of ospreys in action..

They are fun to watch. Sometimes they make me a bit jealous when they fly by with their catch in their talons and I haven't even had a bite.

A to Z Challenge 2016: N is for Navy

On my blog from time to time I do celebrate the military. I  had planned to do a Battle of the Bands post for today's letter but it is the 16th not the 15th so I needed to come up with another topic. My Dad served in the Navy before my time and he worked many years in the contracting business supporting the Navy so it always has had a bit of importance to my family.

My Dad's old ship the USS Bigelow..



The young men and woman who serve in the Navy do make a lot of sacrifices and I respect them for that. The Navy makes up a lot of the community in which I live so I respect them as neighbors too. I get to see them do things that aww me as well!

Where I live know Navy planes rule..my daughter standing behind an F-18 belonging to the US Navy Blue Angels..



To those who are serving in the Navy I thank you for your service. To those who have served thank you for your sacrifices. To those in the Navy who made the ultimate sacrifice I humbly and simply say Thank You.

A to Z Challenge 2016: Music and My Blog

I am back from my manic trip. My last two posts were short and sweet so I did keep up with the challenge. The letter of the day is M and I chose music. Music isn't my life but it is part of my life. Since it is part of my life it is a subject I tend to blog about quite a bit. At one point I was reviewing concerts so I would blog about shows I reviewed or a musician I interviewed.

Now days I will blog about shows I go to, a musician's birthday, milestone or death. I also participate in the Battle of the Bands which means I have music posts at a minimum four times a month. I enjoy that one because I get to  visit the other participants and I get to listen to a lot of cool songs.

It's al part of my Rock and Roll Fantasy..

A struggle I have is my blog tends to become music heavy. I've wrestled with trying to keep some type of balance on my blog. One month I just embraced it and had all but one post about music. I've thought about creating two blogs one for music and one for other stuff.

But in the end...

Well maybe, but no in the end my blog is just what it is. Do you struggle with balance on your blog? What are some things you struggle with on your blog?

A to Z Challenge 2016: Jacksonville Bound

Tonight I will be heading out on  a six hour trip to Jacksonville, Florida. I should go there more often but I rarely get two days off in a row, so 12 hours in a car is a little tough. My parents and a good friend both live outside Jacksonville so that is the appeal of visiting. Yes they both hit me up to visit.

Well my friend hit me up to visit because he had an extra ticket to the Pearl Jam concert. Apparently a buddy had backed out on him. He and my parents had asked me if I was going to Saint Augustine to see Robert Plant last month which opted t see Robert Plant closer to home.

I wouldn't be a very good friend if I always said no. Plus it will give me some time for a little visit with my parents. So my schedule will consist of work and a six hour drive literally in the middle of the night. Wednesday I will visit wit my parents see the show. The Pearl Jam concert should be neat since they have never played that city before. Thursday morning I will head out way too early on a six hour journey to go back to work. Pretty insane if I may say so myself.

How far have you travelled for a concert? What is the craziest trip you have gone on? Feel free to share in the comments.

A to Z Challenge 2016: It takes a Village and other Its

There is an African proverb stating "it takes a village to raise a child." There is a lot of truth to that proverb. There is also a lot of truth in that there are children who are being raised by single parents. In this day and age regardless if a child has one or two parents it is hard to find the village!

I'm blessed with a healthy, intelligent child who doesn't have any major problems. I know that is despite what the child may think. She has two parents who love her very much. That being said it still isn't easy to be a parent and it still takes a village to raise her!

It is my daughter's birthday and she is on my mind. It is true my inspiration came for this post came from dropping off cupcakes for her entire class. The poor teacher is going to have a class full of sugared high students all because of me. Parents are going to hate me because I provided their kids with junk food. Yes I'm bad like Jesse James! But this post isn't about my daughter or being bad. It is about what I witnessed.

In the adult world it is so easy to complain. The teacher isn't doing her job! The administration isn't helping my child. Does any of that sound familiar? It might. Don't worry you don't have to answer that. That is not what this post is about. It is about teachers doing their job! It is about other students.

When I brought the cupcakes to my child's class as a visitor. The school day had just started. Most of the students were in class. I ran into one student who was late who looked like he was having a rough morning but that isn't what my post is about. I noticed a couple of teachers escorting some children to class. This is what my post is about.

The students I observed had special needs. The ones I watched appeared to have some physical issues. I don't know if they had any mental problems. It really wasn't my business what needs they had. The first one I passed went out of his way to wave at me and he had a big smile. I waved back and said "Hi!" or "Good Morning!" and returned the wave. I smiled back too but I wasn't the only one with a smile. The teacher escorting the young scholar was also smiling. The next student I watched being escort I waved at! I guess waving is contagious. The child and teacher were already smiling.

I don't know how these teachers teach these students that have their special needs. All the natural smiles indicated to me that they are taught with a lot of love. It was apparent these children were being treated special just like my daughter! The dedication, the passion, the love these teachers working with children who have special needs was apparent to me as I watched the smiles and waves.
The children with even more needs than normal children really do need a village and I am glad I found the village.

It impressed me this morning. It was the children and the teachers!

A to Z Challenge 2016: F is for Fishing

Fishing isn't always about the size of the fish you catch but the size of the smile on your face.



Heck sometimes even sharks are small...



Sometimes fishing can make you crabby..



sometimes it leaves you deflated..



Sometimes it makes you want to blow up...



Everyone is a sucker for a bigger fish...



They make bigger smiles...



This one had a lot of fight..



but this one made me smile..



and this one was a little stingy...



Well I got to go I have something on the other line...

A to Z Challenge 2016: D is for Dexter

This year I have been blogging about books I have read. I have been reading books every month so it has become a monthly thing. Some years I don't read many books or don't read regularly.  Dexter the popular television show is based off  the "Dexter" series of books by Jeff Lindsay. I read the first book in the series about three years ago and blogged about it here.

My daughter thinks of Dexter as "icky" and books I shouldn't read. Dexter might agree. Last month I read two more books in the series "Dearly Devoted  Dexter" and "Dexter in the Dark."  I've enjoyed the series so far. The first one was close to the first season(with a major left turn)  and the next two are so different. It is weird I am reading them with the pictures of the cast running through my head but different storylines.

Have you ever read a series that was also a show with different story lines but familiar characters?
Have you read The Dexter Books? Do you have a favorite? Did you watch the series? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments, I will be back tomorrow with E!

A to Z Challenge 2016: Busted Bracket Basketball

It is down to the Final Four in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. Most fan's who filled out a bracket have it pretty busted by now. I didn't do to bad, I picked two of the Final Four Teams and I do have one team alive that I picked to win it all. How is your bracket?

Villanova takes on Oklahoma in one game. Here is how the Wildcats got there...

Here is look at Oklahoma's journey...

I picked the Wildcats to get to the Final Four. The other game features the North Carolina Tar Heels, my pick to in it all. Here is a recap of UNC's tournament...

The Syracuse Orange is kind of a Cinderella Team being a 10th seed. Certainly they damaged a few brackets mine included.

Who do you have winning? Who will be playing on Monday?

A to Z Challenge 2016: A is for Animal and a Battle

 


It is April Fool's Day! Welcome to my humble blog, I have my trusty jesters hat on and I am ready to kick off the A to Z: Challenge 2016! Normally on the first of the month I participate in another Blog Fest called the Battle of the Bands. This month is no exception.

Here are the rules are simple I usually pick a song and present a couple of bands battling it out with the song.  This time I am deviating a little. Today I am pitting to famous drummers against each other in a drum battle. You pick the one you like best by casting your vote in the comments. Why you voted the way you did and other comments are always welcomed. The musicians thought it was tie so your vote could settle the debate. This time round just one video, two drummers, man versus puppets.

Please check out the other battles I defer to the master list found on this site STMcC Presents 'Battle of the Bands'. It is also the place to sign up! I will post results on Sunday April 10 another deviation. I'm feeling pretty deviant today.

Tying in to the A to Z Challenge A is for Animal.  I have Animal who gained fame through The Muppets battling it against Dave Grohl.  I've placed him behind the drums like his Nirvana days and Them Crooked Vultures. No Foos today all fighters!

Please vote! Tune in on April 2 for something to do with B.