Sunday – Fifty-Two Views of the Gulf

June 28, 2015June 28, 2015 ~ John W. Howell ~ 43 Comments

Here is this week’s photo of the Gulf.

As you can see the wind has brought the sand a little further onto the crossover and the morning glories are there but hard to see. The tracks in the sand are from the folks who got up early to set up their pop-up in their preferred spot. Have to wonder what time they did that maneuver? Beautiful day forecasted. Means a bunch of folks will show up to spend the day. Just for fun I took another photo in the afternoon to let you see what a day at the beach looks like.

This week only later in the day.

You can still see the blue pop-up but now many more folks.

Last week’s photo

Not too much different from this week.

Stream of Consciousness Saturday – Prompt Some/Sum

June 27, 2015June 26, 2015 ~ John W. Howell ~ 28 Comments

Stream of Consciousness Saturday again. This week’s prompt is “Some/Sum and we can use one or both words. If you would like to give this fun a try, go to Linda Hill’s site and read all the rules. Here is the link http://lindaghill.com/2015/06/26/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-june-2715/. Here is my interpretation.

“Tell me that number again.”

“Seven million.”

“Whew that’s some sum.”

“No, you don’t.”

“No, I don’t what?”

“You don’t get off the prompt that easy.”

“Hey, I just said some and sum, so I’m done.”

“Tell me you didn’t rhyme that on purpose.”

“What if I did?”

“You’re an idiot.”

“Okay, so I didn’t. Now, what?”

“You are still an idiot, but you need to try harder on the prompt.”

“Like how harder?”

“Maybe you need to weave some kind of a story. You can talk about the sum of all fears.”

“The what?”

“The sum of all fears is what happens when you are afraid, and take stock in what all of the fears mean to you.. What’s the sum of that situation.”

“I have to do some math?”

“For heaven’s sake give me a break.”

“Now who’s rhyming?”

“Let me sum up something for you.”

“Go ahead with some sum. Ha ha got ya.”

“You didn’t do the prompt and I hope Linda and her friends toss you out of the SoCS.”

“Poo, I did too.”

“Another rhyme. Perfect and they are becoming more sophisticated as we go along.”

“Sum this.”

“So adult.”

Friday JohnKu – AKA – TGIF

June 26, 2015June 25, 2015 ~ John W. Howell ~ 31 Comments

Friday is here, and I don’t know about you but when anyone mentions Friday it makes me smile. Friday carries with it some anticipation of the beauty of Saturday. You know the beauty of relaxation, rest, recharge, time with family, not having to answer to anyone. Friday has the personality of a liberator. The day itself must be completed before freedom can be assured. Knowing Friday has arrived makes the certainty of liberation a little more probable. Of course, there is always the potential for having to work Saturday yet the mention of Friday conger feelings of looking forward to what follows. This week’s JohnKu (a term coined by Words4jp) talks about weekend freedom. I hope you like it.

Freedom by John W. Howell

Still walking uphill,

Monday to Thursday until . . .

Friday sets us free.

Thursday – A Little Personal

June 25, 2015June 23, 2015 ~ John W. Howell ~ 24 Comments

One thing about living close to the Gulf is everything of metal is subject to deterioration due to salt spray, sand and the wind. This includes automobiles, bikes and houses. Of course, there are no houses made of metal but they do have metal roofs and fixtures. I thought you would enjoy seeing some of the effects of the elements on a few things around our house. The first is the outdoor lamps. These lamps are the most durable that we could find short of putting up vinyl. The material is stainless steel with enamel reflectors. Take a look.

The patina is beautiful but we have ten of these lamps at various places on the home, and I can’t wait to come out and see them laying in pieces on the porches. The material behind the fixture that looks like wood siding is Hardy Plank, which is a concrete product.

The next photo is of one of door handles.

These knobs are also stainless steel. You can see the same pitting that is evident on the lamps. The lock above the handle is also stainless steel but is looking like it is made of copper. The door material is vinyl so it is pretty impervious to the weather. The strikes on the right side are stainless and are now crumbling. I did not take photos of the knobs when they were new, but I did take one of the inside that will give you an idea of how they looked when installed.

The final photo is of the front door knob. You can see rust on the top strike on the left. I replace the strikes once a year otherwise the door locks would have no place to go. When we ordered the hardware for the doors we paid additional money for a better grade. Since we have eight doors, replacing them might have cost a lot of money. The Kwikset company has sent replacements at no charge. I will have a good time this summer doing the replacements. Those pits in the molding on the right are in the paint and not the material.

Thanks for reading.

Wednesday Story Day – AKA – Hump Day

June 24, 2015June 22, 2015 ~ John W. Howell ~ 17 Comments

Wednesday story time again. Last week Charlotte had asked Bob to leave so she could rest. Charlotte (and the rest of us) learned that Bob was homeless and living under a freeway. Bob’s mother threw him out of the house two months ago, and all he has with him is a computer. We need to get back to see how Charlotte is going to handle this latest twist.

“So Bob how have you been getting food and keeping yourself clean?”

“Well, Charlotte I usually go to the YMCA for a swim and shower. I have a locker there. I plug my computer in at the library to get it charged.”

“Do you have a tent or what?”

“No, I have a sleeping bag that I stash in my locker.”

“You’re kidding. You sleep on the ground?”

“Yup. You would be surprised how comfortable it is.”

“I hope never to find out. When do you write?”

“As I said I charge my computer in at the library. I work there most of the time. Which reminds me do you mind if I plug-in here?”

“No, not at all. The plug is over there. How do you eat?”

“Oh, I have money. My mom keeps my checking account full. I can use my debit card for food. She doesn’t want me to be around, but she still cares for me though.”

“I’m surprised to hear you say that. How do you know she cares?”

“I just told you she keeps me in money. She also sends me texts and tells me she cares.”

“But why doesn’t she want you in the house?”

“I think I make her nervous.”

“Nervous how?”

“Oh, you know. She has boyfriends, and when I’m around, there are too many questions about how old I am and what she told the guy about her age.”

“How does that make you feel?”

“You sound like the psychologist.”

“You have a psychologist?”

“Yeah. I see him twice a week.”

“How do you get there?”

“I take the bus like I do for everything else.”

“What does he say about your situation?”

“What situation?”

“You know. Not being welcome at home.”

“I never told him.”

“Oh, my gosh.”

“What? You think I should have?”

Tuesday – Anything Possible

June 23, 2015June 22, 2015 ~ John W. Howell ~ 15 Comments

Now that the sun has returned I thought I would give you a view of the sea facing side (West) of the Dune and point out the beautiful purple morning glories that grow there. My purpose is to give you an idea of how much dune there is.

As you can see, the dune is made of sand (duh) but is covered with a number of vines. These vines are a good thing since when the Gulf decides to move in during times of storm the vegetation keeps the sand somewhat in place.

Here is another view looking off toward the south. This is back behind the dune again but gives you an idea that the dune does provide a first line of defense in case of water surge. The bird sitting on the beach pole 41 is a Heron.

Notice also the lack of development on the land between the Gulf and where this photo was taken. (Those buildings are about a quarter-mile away and are set back from the Dune as well). This is on purpose and keeps the area free of houses and condos so that the defense against rising tide is kept intact. The last storm which caused a significant surge was Hurricane Ike in 2008. About twenty feet of dune was washed away in a manner of hours. The twenty feet have been replaced by the natural action of the Gulf and movement of the sand.

First Post Challenge

June 22, 2015 ~ John W. Howell ~ 21 Comments

I have been nominated by Charles Yallowitz for a fun project. It is called First Post Challenge. The idea is to list your first post as a ping back to the original and then nominate five other bloggers to do the same.

So here is my first post on Fiction Favorites. I was pleased to see it got two likes. Probably by the only two who read the piece. It was about Kurt Vonnegut my hero.

Here are my five:

#RRBC Play it Forward – Matthew Armstrong

June 22, 2015June 21, 2015 ~ John W. Howell ~ 11 Comments

Rave Reviews Book Club has begun a new program that has as a goal highlighting other bloggers and writers. The idea is to take a little bit of time to support someone who has a message to share. We call it the Bethany Turner Play it Forward program. The idea is to help promote others before yourself. This week I would like to re-introduce you an RRBC member since I originally ran this post on April 28th. His name is Matthew Armstrong, and as described on his Facebook page he is a Human Behavioral Specialist, Author, and Health Educator. Matthew has an objective of making sure each person he reaches with his message recognize and work toward developing their potential.

His website at http://buildingabrandonline.com/ provides advice on how to build a brand online. There a numerous helpful posts on how one can begin taking charge of one’s destiny.

His blog http://buildingabrandonline.com/beyourpotential has several detailed discussions on how to maximize potential. A visitor will find such subjects as:

5 Traits and Principles to Being a Successful Entrepreneur and Business Owner!

The One Thing To Overcome Anything!

10 Personal Development Quotes To Motivate You!

What is your Purpose in Life? How will you know your Purpose? Do what you are meant to do!

In addition, Matthew has a YouTube feature that has advice on all things including diet. http://www.youtube.com/beyourpotential/

Visit any one of these places and check Matthew out. His twitter handle is @mathewarmstrong if you would like to connect he also is on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/BeYourPotential

Matthew has also recently published his first book of fiction titled Sex God: An erotic adventure of self-discovery available on Amazon.

Blurb

Unfulfilled in his marriage and life, Alex Sterling makes an indecent proposal to his wife, Angela, which sets them off on an erotic adventure of self-discovery, revealing dark and repressed parts of themselves. On the verge of losing everything that is most important to him, Alex is a man in early life crisis, playing a high-stakes game and going to extreme measures to save what he values most. Is he going through a mental breakdown or is this some sort of spiritual transformation? He has no idea as his grasp on reality crumbles and all his worst fears are inevitably realized.

Bio

Matthew Armstrong comes from Irish descent, attending the same grammar school as Oscar Wild — but only for a short while, as he was expelled for speaking his mind and not conforming. Through two decades of living and traveling in 6 continents, he has gained much life experience and studied many cultures and ways of life along the way. Originally an Author of non-fiction, covering topics from health, philosophy, relationships, spirituality & human potential, Matthew now finds his inspiration in writing fiction.

Top Ten Things Not to do In Preparation for a Tropical Storm Named Bill.

June 22, 2015June 21, 2015 ~ John W. Howell ~ 35 Comments

This list is inspired by watching as the community prepares for the landfall of Tropical Storm Bill. Not all of the list were seen on this one storm but have been gathered from a number of sights on similar occasions.

Top Ten Things Not to do In Preparation for a Tropical Storm Named Bill.

10 If you are faced with a tropical storm, do not rush to the store to buy week’s worth of paper goods. If you do, at best you might have a slight overstock situation. At worst, your overstock situation could be interpreted as a hoarding disorder which will require family and friend intervention. (Also, if the storm is severe enough you’ll have a lot of soaked paper goods on hand)

9 If you are faced with a tropical storm, do not throw a tropical storm party. If you do, at best you will need to house all the party goers until the water recedes from your neighborhood. At worst, you and your guests might end up on your rooftop hoping the water gets no higher and rescue is imminent. (What you don’t know is the rescue crew has set low priority on large groups who obviously should know better and have been over served)

8 If you are faced with a tropical storm, do not count on beer as having enough liquid potential as to replace water in your precious reserves. If you do, at best you might have a hard time staying hydrated and coherent at the same time. At worst, you may find yourself trading family heirlooms for a cold bottle of water.

7 If you are faced with a tropical storm, do not count on items run by electricity for safety and comfort. If you do, at best you will only have a few hours of power outage. At worst, the power will be out for an unreasonable amount of time and so your battery driven items will go dark. (You may not miss Candy Crush but look out when it is time to call 911)

6 If you are faced with a tropical storm, do not ignore the weather warnings. If you do, at best you may find it inconvenient when you can’t get around since you are not prepared. At worst, the sound of your roof going airborne will come as quite a shock along with the need to swim for your life.

5 If you are faced with a tropical storm, do not drive through water that is over the road and you do not know how deep. If you do, at best you will make it across and only have wet feet. At worst, you and your car will give new meaning to the term “amphibian vehicle”. (Don’t forget cars do not float forever)

4 If you are faced with a tropical storm, do not continue to play outside when it is lightning. If you do, at best your game will be played with a sense of worry. At worst, you and your fellow players will collect enough jolts to qualify as an independent power source for the local utility.(They will thank you at the memorial service)

3 If you are faced with a tropical storm, do not think following instructions by city authorities is for sissies. If you do, at best, the storm will make landfall in someone else’s front yard. At worst, you will be battered a bruised and dependent on the care of those you thought so cowardly. (And they had to stay around to take care of you)

2 If you are faced with a tropical storm and are told to evacuate, do not try to leave with everything you ever owned. If you do, at best your possessions will take valuable space needed for water and food. At worst, you will not be able to keep all these things with you and will eventually have to off-load them at the side of the road. (If left in the house chances are they would be perfectly safe)

1 If you are faced with a tropical storm, do not lose your calm. If you do, at best your example will cause others to be concerned. At worst, once everything is normal again your behavior will be one of the stand-out events of the whole experience. (And no one will leave it alone)

Sunday – Fifty -Two Views of the Gulf

June 21, 2015June 20, 2015 ~ John W. Howell ~ 15 Comments

This week’s photo shows a little of the debris that has washed up as a result of Tropical Storm Bill. It wasn’t too bad and what you see here are the charcoal remains of fires on the beach. The surf rolls in such a way as to unearth them even if buried in the sand. The yellow morning glories are in bloom, and the beach has been washed clean by the surf. (the nice side of a tropical storm)

You can see from last week’s photo the water has receded this week.