Existing In BFE

This the right turn onto the path but I don't know if it is going north or west. I try to hit it every day. If I turn left and keep going I end up at Tropicana Field , but that is some 5 miles away, so I have a ways to go before I am at that kind of trip. I go right by the Tyrone Square Mall where my daughter works. Yes, Toto, we're in Florida. The Pinellas Trail Bike Path goes over some main arteries. And I want you to know it takes some major pedaling to get up these ramps. A nice ride over some water. Going past the KOA campground where they offer refreshments in their little convenience store, but I didn't bring any money. We have our path and the cars have theirs. Surprisingly, there isn't a lot of traffic on this trail, although I haven't been on it much during the weekends. One of my first purchases down here was a Trek Navigator 1 bicycle. Light frame, no kick stand, 7-speeds and fairly soft seat. I enjoy riding it. Here, however, are some things to wa...

In a very brief phone call from Brendan (we were cut off after about 30 seconds) he said he was in Cannes, France. He and Karen are travelling Europe and have been to Monaco and Monte Carlo. That was it, then gone. He sounded happy and I heard Karen chirping in the background. He then called his Mother a day later and they had returned but were planning a trip to Wales this weekend.

1. Nancy was right, there are no flies in Florida. 2. At the DMV an old lady came and sat two seats from me waiting to get her license renewed. She said she hoped her business wouldn't cost more than $20, since she only had $22 until she got her Social Security and she used $2 on gas to get here. She was called to a desk close by and I heard that it would cost her $25.00. She told the guy she didn't have it and so I walked over and gave her the five. She was very thankful and when she left she stopped by to give me her name and phone on a piece of paper and it had IOU $5.00 on it. She said she could give it to me on the 3rd of August and that there are angels. Well, I say this not to get any attention for my good deed, but that there are people who mightily struggle month to month to survive. We should be thankful for every thing we have. 3. Speaking of DMV , they didn't accept my duly authorized birth certificate. Travis, the bastard, said it didn't have the "fe...

http://www.baynews9.com/content/36/2009/7/22/499398.html

Killed in action the week before, the body of Sergeant First Class John C. Beale was returned to Falcon Field in Peachtree City , Georgia , just south of Atlanta , on June 11, 2009. The Henry County Police Department escorted the procession to the funeral home in McDonough, Georgia . A simple notice in local papers indicated the road route to be taken and the approximate time.Nowadays one can be led to believe that America no longer respects honor and no longer honors sacrifice outside the military. Be it known that there are many places in this land where people still recognize the courage and impact of total self-sacrifice. Georgia remains one of those graceful places. The link above is a short travelogue of that day's remarkable and painful journey. But only watch this if you wish to have some of your faith in people restored. Please share widely.

I'm sure everyone has seen this by now, but it needs to be seen again.

Truth be told I am mostly likely a "Moderate" straddling both political spectrums. On some issues a conservative slant might be a wiser approach, while on others I lean liberal. It is an honest person, who does not have all the answers, and may not accept force-fed sound bites from party heads, who reflects on the best of both sides. Neither side is all "right" nor all "wrong".

Dear Tim: I am sorry I am of a liberal persuasion. You see, my parents sent to me Iowa Wesleyan College, a small Midwestern liberal arts college in the heart of liberal Iowa, during the Vietnam war. Above is my IWC ID card I unearthed in the move, and as you can see I am already turning into a long-haired liberal hippie radical. I took philosophy courses, and if you aren't liberal after that, then the sociology, theology and Modern Ethics courses were the clincher. I won't get into the bowling, tennis and piano classes I took as a senior after all my hours had been met. My philosophy instructor and advisor was George E. LaMore , now retired, of course, who further pushed and dragged me into the liberal wing of things. He was rather renowned at the time for his leftist-leaning activist ideas that didn't always sit well with the Methodist church which apparently subsidized the school. Then if that wasn't enough, a quagmire of a war deepened with Nixon, a right-to-t...

This is a picture of a sign in front of a house in Knoxville. Click on the picture to get a larger view of the day of the week that is written, but not written well. When I took this I also checked the other side to make sure it wasn't just a mistake, but it was written identically on the other side too. So, parents and kids, stay in school so you won't make a fool of yourself in front of everyone who drives in front of your home. By the way, all mistakes in grammar and spelling on this blog are due to the computer and not the writer.

Thanks to some medical advise here and back home (Thanks Dr. Tim) my medical affliction has been greatly relieved. I have regained full movement and no longer suffer the stinging and embarrassment of diaper rash. This is the Floridian sandwich shop. Great Cuban sandwiches and black bean and rice side. I've mentioned it before but it needed repeating. As I have told many people there is a city-wide back path right next to this complex. My friend Stewart in Galesburg offered a suggestion as to a bike to look for and I pulled the trigger yesterday on this cool Trek Navigator 1. I have been driving around St. Pete a bit this week. It really isn't too bad. Not much worse than Henderson Street in Galesburg. My friends in BFE would probably like to know that I have not ridden my bike all that much but I plan to. Nancy goes back to work today and I will have long hours to pretty much do what I want. I may even try the Causeway bridge. As we were driving to the Kawi shop to unlo...

OK, I know this hasn't got anything to do with North Henderson, Florida, me, my homesickness or moving stuff in 92 degree weather, but it sure is neat. Things really get rockin' at the 1:00 mark.

Working on 36 some hours in sunny Florida and these are my early impressions: 1. Due to heat and moisture, I can barely walk due to a nasty rash in my nether regions due to the heat. I have been gelling and baby powdering the area, but with more to move and having to do it out in the sun, I'll probably need a wheel chair by night fall. We are going to the beach this afternoon. Wonder how the saltwater will feel on the affected area? Feel free to commence laughing. 2. Did I mention the ungodly heat? 3. I'm within walking distance of a grocery store, DMV , Post Office, Best Buy, the Mall, and DQ . 4. For all the talk about old people and Florida, I gotta tell ya, most of the people I see, particularly at this complex, are young. 5. Moving sucks.

Marvin, Andrea and Richard in Burgess Pool party in Burgess Pat's Cookout in Knoxville From left to right: Pam Webber. Becky Simmons and my old boss Randy Storm Following the Penske truck in lower Tennessee Rest stop in Tennessee

We stayed in Murfreesboro on Monday and were able to make it to 15 miles outside Tampa on Tuesday when we discovered the lights in the Penske truck didn't work. We (I) wanted to drive through the city while the sun was up but we had to wait to get then lights working, and so I had to drive at night. Anyway, we made it just fine and had time to see Kenze and Drew before crashing. Up this morning and trying to unpack. My cell is coming along nicely. Pizza tonight and I requested a trip to the beach tomorrow.

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Things I Won't Miss Living in BFE 1. Getting my Entertainment Weekly three weeks behind. 2. Getting to work/getting home after work in snowy weather. 3. Barking dogs. 4. The isolation Things I Will Miss Living In BFE 1. Tim 2. Dave 3. Chris 4. Carrie, CG, Jen, Rick, Rod, Diane, Ernie, Richard, Ashley, Vincent. 5. NHCC 6. The winds whistling through the grain bins. 7. The constant humming of the grain dryers. 8. My walks to the Post Office with Missy. 9. Our weekend bike rides. 10. Discussing philosophy, politics, views on the human condition with those mentioned above. 11. Looking at Tim's flag hanging on the garage. 12. The isolation. 13, The freedom to piss (anonymously of course) in my yard. 14, No waiting at the Post Office. 15. The summer storms. 16. Conservative vs liberal

Neighbor Tim's garage, aka, North Henderson Community center. Great place for a beer after work, a chat about anything from bicycle pinions to philosophy, truly, the hub of the city, manned by two great people.

View from the parking lot. Calendar in the Circulation department. This was my cubicle after I had processed Fed Ex. I updated teacher emails here. Stevie, the Fed-Ex Express driver. Wednesday was my last day at Blick after 4 years. It was a pretty cool place to spend my afternoons. I was a department of one; officially in Circulation, but worked alone. This is what my boss, Lori, sent out on the company email: "Mike Blythe, our faithful Fed Ex shipper since 2005, will be leaving Blick with today being his last day. Mike is moving to the Sunshine state. While we will sorely miss his dedication and great service, we wish him the best of luck in his new endeavors. Mike is replaced by Stephen coursey. Stephen has previous experience in office management and parcel shipping and has been training with Mike over the last few days. Please wish Mike farewell and welcome Stephen."

Tiki night in BFE Community Center is Rockin'. "Don't take my picture, you'll steal my soul!" My buddy and friend Ole. My buddy and friend Christopher. "It's time to eat!" Jen modeling our BFE ride T-shirts. "You are the Man, Mike!" (Thats not really what he said, but its my blog, and I make the rules.) Tims father, Wayne and Barb Saline, and Tim's mom. Tim's son Scott. Who invited the f#/^ing snake? Carrie and fellow blogger and CG, my ride-mate for the day. Ole and Rod Vince, a real party animal.