Starfish Foster Home

Starfish Foster Home

Chinese Starfish

I was passed on this link and of course had to have a look for myself... well, I am in love... what cute babies that I just want to hug everyone of them. After reading the 'Chinese Starfish' well, that got me thinking more and more... I would like to do something like this. So, that got me thinking more and more about seeing if I could go over and help. Though, I would look more at the 'logic' side of it... of course it came down to work and money... with work, I need to get my hours up for my Health Insurance (and when we get Shauna she will be on mine so I need extra hours there)... then there is the money side... I need that money for China for when it is our turn to go. I have other bills that need to be paid. I am going back home in January and so I will do the next best thing and go to Wal-Mart and make up a 'care package' to send over. Take some time to check out this site... I think that everyone who helps out kids from all over the world should get some kind of recognition.

Mama Squirrel

Well, here is one of the videos I took, this is off 'Mama Squirrel'... hope it works out ok. I am trying to get the 'Dolphin Feeding Frenzy' on here... enjoy! I do believe there is a 'weird' noise on the video and so you may want to 'MUTE' the computer.

Running of the Puffer Fish

We decided that we would go away for a few days and test out our camper (not in the driveway)... we went camping down at Sebastian Inlet, which is only 6-7 miles from our house but that is ok... it is so nice down there. We had planned on going fishing, relaxing and riding our bikes. We got our site and was unpacking the camper etc and set it up... it was so nice to finally just get away. We had not long finished setting it up when the rain started so we just stayed in the van and got that all ready while it rained. We live in Florida after all and the rain doesn't really last that long here. As soon as he could, Mike set up the fishing rod and headed across the road to fish... well, he ended up catching about 5 Puffer Fish... my hero... glad I wasn't waiting for a fish to cook... hehehe... sorry Mike... we must have caught a 'run' on the Puffer Fish... we stayed on a waterfront site... what a gorgeous view we had... we did have a little visitor though. Mama Squirrel came over to the site... Mike was fishing and I was sitting at the van feeding Mama Squirrel, you can tell by the picture that she had just had babies - so, of course she needed some sustenance. Afterall, she is a mum and I know I was not 'meant' to feed her but hey... who was there to stop me... hehehe... it was so cute to watch her eating the piece of bread. Well, we ended up staying out until 9.30pm fishing - oh, and being eaten alive by 'No-see-ums' and 'Gnats'... for those who don't know... they are tiny bugs you can't see that bite you. Well, they managed to find me (of course) and don't think that you can escape from them indoors cause they come through a screen as well.. nasty little things. The next day we ended up fishing again... we were just sitting there fishing from the wall when all of a sudden you could see the dolphins coming over. Then next thing you know all the dolphins were jumping around everywhere as there was a school of fish that they were after and of course there was me trying to get all this on a movie on my camera. To much action were going on and I was trying to get this dolphin, then the next one and back again. There were about 6 in the pod... next thing I see that there was a dolphin coming right toward me, I could see it just underneath the surface of the water. Though, I was a little to close to it and couldn't really get a good shot on the video... all I managed to get was a shot of the splash. Still, I was SO excited just watching it (I am going to try later on if I can get the video downloaded on here)... in the morning we headed out for our bike ride down to the Sebastian Inlet itself. What a gorgeous sunrise too... there were surfers out there, people fishing... it was really nice to just hang around there for a while. We also went over to the Lagoon on the other side of the Inlet from us and it was there I saw 2 Manatees swimming around. Though I didn't get a photo of these as they are very hard to get a decent photo of them, they are so gentle and gorgeous in their own way. A pity that alot of boaters don't take notice of the 'No Wake Zones' and the Manatees end up being hurt from the propellers of the boats... We had spent most of the day riding our bikes or fishing... me, I spent about 5 hours just sitting under a tree outside our van, watching Mike fish and just relaxing... I wasn't at home nor at work and so I got very relaxed indeed... though at one stage I was sitting there looking up in the tree when all of a sudden I see this hairy thing... it was sleeping in the tree... I was wondering what it was. For a moment I thought it was either a REALLY big possum or a sloth (I obviously had a blond moment there, they are a Sth American animal - haha) - well, we finally figured out it was a Raccoon asleep in the tree. I was fine with that... as long as it stayed asleep and in the tree... Mama Squirrel came back for some more bread and this time she would take the bread out of my hand, she was so cute. Later in the afternoon we were just sitting in the van relaxing, talking and playing Yahtzee when I see a Raccoon trying to get to Mike's bait... weird thing was that it was still light outside and they don't usually run around this early in the afternoon... well, this Raccoon was sniffing around and trying to get into the bucket... I got the camera and was trying to take the photo through a screen... it was funny to watch him... well, he finally got hold of the bait and took off with it up a palm tree but as he was dragging it out - well, trying, the bag wouldn't come out of the bucket and ended up taking the lid of the bucket with him. We did get that back but it was funny... we wondered if the Raccoon survived the stinky shrimp that he stole. Never seen a Raccoon out so early. Mike, being the trooper that he was went into town to get a pizza... forget 'cooking' meals while away for 2 days. I didn't want to see a stove of any kind the whole time I was away. That night was somewhat 'awful'... the wind had picked up and was blowing the canvas on the side of the camper, which in turn was blowing the roof from side to side and rocking the camper... since the hurricanes about 2 years ago... I am not a big fan of very windy days... so, suffice to say I could not sleep much that night and finally fell asleep when the wind died down. At one point I was ready to go and sleep in the car... though having said this... Mike was snoring away... why is it I stay awake, freaking out the camper was going to tip and he is snoring? The funny thing was that when I would walk up to the public restrooms, it would remind me of when I was a kid (before dad died in 1978) that mum, dad and all us kids would go to Fingal Bay in Port Stephens and what great times we had. Mum would bath Chummy (my baby sister) in the sinks at the bathrooms while Ness and I would be in the showers trying to get sand, an inch thick I am sure off us, all from being dumped in the sand in the ocean... just the things I was doing while we were camping the other day reminded me of when I was a child. These are the type of memories that I hope we can help Shauna have... well, I hope that you have enjoyed our little adventure... oh... Mike ended up cathing 11 Puffer Fish and 1 baby Grunt (fish)...

Modes of transport...

... and lots of rain... well, at least I think that it is exciting that we got a good down pour of rain... I hope that this Winter it is going to be cold cause I am SO sick of the humidity and heat and I am ready to be able to open the windows instead of having the AC on all the time. Time to get rid of this 'stale' air from the Air Conditioner. Then today Mr. Logic - aka Mike talked me out of buying a really nice brand new bike. Though the other day he saw a bike in a pawn shop across from a store he goes to when he is working... well, we went and had a look at it and it was pretty much near new... one tiny scratch... Now, you have to understand that as much as I would like a 'brand new bike', living across from the ocean tends to rust things quick and so it really wouldn't pay for me to buy a brand new bike... that is ok... it is still a good bike. Just had to put my Tink mobile in the photo too... hehehe... Do you like the plate on the van? Thanks to Lorraine for the frame (I have had it for a while) and just have to have my 'Aussie flag' on the van too... Then there is that photo of Mike cooking his omelet - I am sure he would kill me if I were to show this off but just wanted to show you mum that Mike can cook something... hahaha!!! I guess that cause I have been SO busy with work the last few days that there really isn't that much to 'talk' about.

My Island Home Is Waiting For Me...

Well, it is official... we will be 'homeward bound' in January of 2008... I am SO excited... it is the same kind of trip that we got with Hawaii, Argentina/Uruguay... where Mike had to work his butt off selling a certain product to get these trips free... they didn't come easy... well, we were hoping that we would have Shauna with us but alas we don't... oh well... what can you do? Let's not start on all that... the exciting thing is that I am getting an all expenses paid trip back home... whoo hoo... we are going to be staying in Sydney and my mum will come down to Sydney by train (which is only a 90 min ride)... or everyone will stay in Sydney... I don't know... The company has 'given' us 2 free tickets to climb Sydney Harbour Bridge but Mike will not go up there in a pink fit... so, him and mum (and the kids if they are there) will go to the Sydney Opera House and go on a tour through there while we take a 4 hour climb of the bridge... well, I can use one of those free tickets for my sister and then we have to pay for the other one... I can live with that. This is one thing I have always wanted to do. I remember when I was younger and I would say 'One day I want to go to the top of the bridge'... back in the day before going up there. Well, now you can and I never got up there. The last time I went I thought now one else wanted to go up there so I never bothered with it... well, I found out my sister Janine and Vanessa also wanted to do it... so... don't want life to pass me by and not do this so I am going to take the plunge and do it. The whole thing will take about 3 - 4 hours... should be great fun. Then on January 26th you have 'Australia Day'... depending on how you look at it... it can either be a good day or bad day... the day Great Britain claimed it as part of the colony or they day that the 'whites' invaded the land of the Aboriginals and changed things forever... well, we are going on a boat that night to watch the fireworks that will be let off on the Bridge... there are going to be some free days that I will spend with everyone and even catch the train back home sweet home... back to see all the kids... the dog Jemma and take her for a walk... I think it will be a great time. It will only be for a week... we can't stay longer but a week is better then a weekend or something like that...

When it rains, it pours...

Well, where to start? Like I said... when it rains... it pours... first we had trouble with the shower upstairs and that was leaking down the side of the wall... so, we get that fixed... new tiles around the shower etc and everything is sweet... then we get a leak from the AC that is upstairs in a small room and the pan under the AC had overflowed (a pipe was blocked) and the water went onto the floor and soaked through downstairs (to what will be Shauna's room) and it dripped through a vent, down the closet door and onto the carpet... all I can say is that we hadn't got her room started to spoil the carpet... so, we get someone in to fix that... next thing... we find a leak from the roof of the laundry downstairs... seems the seal around the base of the toilet was leaking out of the pipe, down through the roof... so, we got that repaired and now all that is fixed... to suddenly have the AC leaking again and this time it leaked through the ceiling again and down into the closet and all over the towels, sheets, blankets etc... they were soaking and so we call back the Air Conditioning people - they came to find out that it was blocked... only after 2 weeks... How could that happen???? Well, it was blocked... you ready for it... it was blocked by a frog... a dead frog... it had crawled up through the pipe the AC water drains out of... now... I love frogs but I had seen this dead frog I would have booted it's sorry dead butt down the road... the light in the closet was FULL of water... touch wood... nothing or no one was electrocuted from the water around the light... fingers crossed that there is no more trouble with any water leaking anywhere.
Below are just a few photos... the land crabs have decided to come out a little early... Mike was saying that years ago that there were 100's more around but as this barrier island got more populated it seems that alot of them have disappeared... they are more scared of you. Though this afternoon we did find one that had scurried it's way onto the porch and then got stuck so there is me running around with the broom, trying to get this things out of the door before it snuck into a corner and that would die too and stink the place out...Yep, the joys of living in Florida... lol... other then this... not a great deal is going on... just lots of work while 2 people are out on a vacation... oh well... I guess I got to pay my dues since I just had my vacation and am going away again... haha

What every Yankee fan hates to see...

... so jump on the Boston bandwagon while you can... tonight Rookie pitcher Clay Buchholz pitches a 'no hitter'... this was his 2nd major league start just hours after being called up by the Red Sox. To think that this kid only just turned 23... he is the 17th rookie to pitch a 'no hitter'. I am NO expert on rules of baseball but I know some things and I do know that this is a really good and rare thing... you have to understand... coming from Australia that baseball wasn't all THAT big like it is here in the States but when I married Mike, I married into a family that is either a Patriots (Football) /Bruins (Ice Hockey) /Red Sox (Baseball) /Celtics (Basketball) /New England Revolution (Soccer) followers so therefore to make my life a little easier I went with the flow and am now somewhat 'sucked' into the whole New England thing... and I do know one thing... that the NY Yankees are the sworn enemy...