Wrye Comments

The Idle Rich

2010-10-27T12:25:00.000-05:00

The idle rich and how they spend their days. Probably talking to their lobbiest as the election nears.

The Beach Part II

2010-10-27T12:22:00.000-05:00

More pictures of the beach. Seems there is a limit of four pictures per post.

The Beach

2010-10-27T12:18:00.001-05:00

Here are a few shots of what the beach looks like. Not many people here on a beautiful late October day. Well, it was only about 11:30 AM when I was there.

First Sight of Ocean

2010-10-27T12:10:00.001-05:00

After you get to the to the top of the ridge, you get your first view of the ocean. And a few signs.

Path to Beach

2010-10-27T12:05:00.001-05:00

Path from highway to beach. The path winds through the greenery up a bit of a hill.

Enterence to Park

2010-10-27T12:01:00.001-05:00

This is the enterence to the beach park. You have to walk across the highway to get from the parking lot to the beach.

Hammock Park

2010-10-27T11:53:00.004-05:00

I found a little park today near where I live. As you can see, it is named Ocean Ridge Hammock Park. It is off A1A. The parking lot is on the west side of the highway and you cross the road to get to the beach. Don't forget that you can enlarge the pictures by clicking on them. One click enlarges them and the second click enlarges them to full size. This is true for all pictures in my blog.

Green Cay 2010

2010-10-06T15:59:00.000-05:00

View over the railing at the entrance to Green Cay Nature Center. This is a water filtration facility that has been adapted to look like Florida before civilization hit.

Can't Help It

2010-10-01T13:22:00.000-05:00

Just have to take the panoramic shots. Here is another one.

Looking for a Handout

2010-10-01T13:19:00.001-05:00

This bird flew up and landed on the railing as I walked along. I think he/she was looking for a handout. I have heard people say they were concerned about the animals becoming conditioned to humans, and it looks like it might be the case here. He preceeded me down the railing for a few yards and then flew off into the wetlands.

Something Fishy

2010-10-01T13:16:00.000-05:00

A picture of one of the fish. I have no idea what kind of fish. Just a live fish in a big pool.

Tranquility

2010-10-01T13:14:00.000-05:00

Just a very quiet spot. There are several birds on the land to the left of the canal, but they are difficult to see in the picture.

Light and Shadow

2010-10-01T13:11:00.000-05:00

Another shot of some of the plants. This was shot near an area where I saw a fresh litter of baby alligators the last time I was here.

More Plants

2010-10-01T13:09:00.001-05:00

Another shot of some of the plants. The flowers are just beginning to bloom.

The Alligator

2010-10-01T13:07:00.000-05:00

This is the only picture of an alligator I got today. He is sunning himself about half way down the road. Toward the top-center of the picture. Looks like a big log. That was as close as I could get, or that I wanted to get.

Reflections

2010-10-01T13:04:00.000-05:00

This was shot into the sun with rather bright reflections. Just a view of some of the plants growing at Wako. Wakodahachee is an artifical area created by the county water department. It is a filtering station for drinking water in the area.

A Panorama

2010-10-01T13:00:00.000-05:00

The camera in my phone can do panoramic shots and I can't resist do one once in a while. Here is a shot showing a wide area of the wetlands.

Picture Perfect Day

2010-10-01T12:54:00.001-05:00

So calm and quiet. Very few clouds in the sky. Temprature in the low 80s with very low humidity. Just a lovely day. Remember, you can click on any picture to enlarge it.

Turtle

2010-10-01T12:51:00.000-05:00

If you look closely, you can see a turtle under water. The head is toward the top center of the picture in the light tan area. The body is pretty much obscured by the reflections of the clouds.

Entrance View

2010-10-01T12:48:00.000-05:00

View of the wetlands as you first enter. Not a great number of animals visable, but they are there. I could see quite a few catfish in the water.

Trip to Wakodahachee Wetlands

2010-10-01T12:44:00.000-05:00

This was my first trip to Wako since my heart attack. It was such a beautiful day today I decided after lunch to visit the wetlands. I didn't have my good camera with me, only the camera in my phone. It is a high quality camera, but it has no optical zoom, so no closeups. Saw fish, turtles, birds and an alligator. This is the sign near the entrance.

Cars In My Life - 1950 Jeepster Convertible

2010-07-27T14:33:00.000-05:00

1950 Jeepster Convertible In-line 4 3-Speed Manual

When I got to the Altoona Campus of Penn State in 1957 I needed a car to get around. Mom had taken over the Mercury, so they bought me a Jeepster. This was a sort of cross-over vehicle between a Jeep and a regular convertible car. The top was manually operated and there were canvas side curtains, no windup windows at all. The car owed much more to the Jeep than to a car. It was very spartan. It had a very small four cylinder engine that only put out 40 horsepower. It was very cold in the winter, the side curtains didn't fit snugly and the wind whistled in while the car was in motion.
I got Moon wheel covers for it. These were spun aluminum covers that were screwed to the wheels of the car. I don't think I had them for more than a week when they were stolen.
In my last year at Penn State I replaced the four cylinder engine with a V-8. What a disaster that was. I drove it to my first job at IBM in Endicott, New York. The car didn't last long at all. Actually, neither did the job.

Cars In My Life - 1953 Mercury 2-Door Hardtop

2010-07-27T14:20:00.000-05:00

1953 Mercury 2-Door Hardtop V-8 Automatic

The Plymouth was definitely not my kind of car. I wanted something a lot better looking. The Mercury was the first car that I had a say in the purchase. There were two very similar cars available; one orange and tan and one green and yellow. My dad insisted the green and yellow was the better car, but I was in love with the orange one. My parents bought the one I wanted even though my father objected. I still think this is one of the prettiest cars I ever owned.
I put electric windows in it myself. That was a real challenge but I got them installed.
The car had a sort of loud muffler. In those days the Pennsylvania State Police were very strict about the level of noise that cars made, especially ones driven by kids. My Mercury seemed to pass the noise test, because I was never harassed for the muffler.
This picture was taken on the property of Dr. Lorenzo Runk in the Curtis Park neighborhood of my home town, Philipsburg, PA.

Cars In My Life - 1942 Plymouth Deluxe Sedan

2010-07-27T14:14:00.000-05:00

1941 Plymouth Deluxe 4-Door Sedan In-line 6 3-Speed Manual

My first car. My parents bought it for me for my 16th birthday in 1953. I had to wait to drive it until I passed the Pennsylvania State driving test. I passed it on the first try. That is a story for another time.

The Plymouth was a large car, you could sort of walk into it and sit down. The problem was it was way underpowered. It was definitely not the best car for central Pennsylvania where I was born and raised. Too many hills. The windshield wipers were vacuum powered and when the car was struggling to get up a hill the wipers stopped working.
The car had vacuum assisted shifting on the column mounted shifter. It made for very short throws from gear to gear, but the car hissed every time you shifted. I liked to sit at the traffic light in my home town and shift back and forth between second and third gear. It made the car sound like it was breathing.
The previous owner had replaced the factory shift knob with a very heavy chrome plated one. When the car was in second gear, all you had to do was put in the clutch to shift gears. The knob was so heavy that the lever dropped from second to third gear by itself.
The Plymouth had an after-market radio in it. It was a Motorola radio and was mounted under the dash. At night when we were riding around we could get stations from far away cities like Buffalo, New York. That was where we first heard rock-n-roll music.Life was never the same again.
This is the only picture I can find of the Plymouth. I think that is Mom driving it and we at my Grandmother Booth’s house on Second Street. It is obviously winter what with the coating of mud and road salt.

Test Drive

2010-04-05T10:11:00.001-05:00

I test-drove a 2008 Chrysler Sebring Convertible last week. Mark is working at KPM Auto Exports in West Palm Beach and he called me about this car. I drove it and it is a pretty nice car. I cannot afford it, though. Too bad, it would be nice to have.

2010-02-13T21:02:00.001-05:00

Wildlife in front of my new apartment. These are Muscovy ducks. They have to be one of the ugliest animals on the planet.

2010-02-10T17:23:00.000-05:00

Two more pictures of the doctor's office in Lake Worth from yesterday. Tried to post all six pictures, but only four showed up.

2010-02-10T17:15:00.000-05:00

I took my neighbor Honorio Muelas to the eye surgeon yesterday morning. The doctor's office was in a building with a very pretty plaza. Here are a few pictures I took with my phone camera of that plaza.

2009-11-19T11:30:00.000-05:00

Just a quick post to add a Call Me button to my blog.

2009-04-25T13:06:00.000-05:00

I took a little trip this afternoon to the Delray Oaks Natural Area to soak up some nature. It is a beautiful day in Delray Beach today and perfect for a walk in the woods. Well, as close as one can come to woods in South Florida.

2009-04-25T13:03:00.000-05:00

Another view of the Delray Oaks Natural Area. It is less than a mile from where I live. Very much in the center of Delray Beach. It is an area of about 33 acres set aside to preserve what Florida was like before civilization hit.

2009-04-25T13:00:00.000-05:00

Another view through the Delray Oaks Natural Area. It looks so tranquil here, but looks can be deceiving. The area is very close to I95 and the railroad tracks, so the whole time I was there, I could hear the roar of the traffic on the highway. While I was there a train went by, too. Looks calm but sounds like a city. It is in fact, in the middle of Delray Beach.

2009-04-25T12:56:00.000-05:00

Not exactly the yellow brick road, but the walkway through the Delray Oaks Natural Area.

2009-04-25T12:51:00.000-05:00

This was the only spot of color I found at the Delray Oaks Natural Area this afternoon. We have had a really dry winter and there wasn't a whole lot going on at the Natural Area today. Mostly greens and browns. The red flower in this picture is about 1/4 inch in diameter. The white flower maybe an inch across.

Long Ago and Far Away

2009-02-17T13:39:00.000-05:00

This is a picture I took with my Pony 135 camera in early January 1954. It was taken while I was standing on the front porch of our family home. I was facing toward the Philipsburg High School where I was a student in my Junior year.

It was a school day because I can see the lights on in the school library. The people in the picture are teachers walking to school. That is how we got to school in those days. We walked. Or, if we were from out of town, we rode in somebody's car. No snow days.

Gawd, I am so glad that is all history!

Cactus Garden Part II

2009-02-17T11:53:00.000-05:00

Another shot of Grace's cactus garden.

The Cactus Garden

2009-02-17T11:50:00.000-05:00

Ben and Grace's son, George came down to visit his parents on Sunday. He went to Home Depot and bought the makings of this cactus garden. Grace has it on their patio.

Alomost Affordable

2009-02-17T11:47:00.000-05:00

Well, not really. It is used and is only $26,000.00. Of course, there is the small matter of insurance and maintenance on this beast. But then, I don't play the Lottery either.

Red SRT

2009-02-17T11:45:00.000-05:00

Here is a lovely new C Class convertible. A Sporty Red Thing. My favorite color. My favorite body style. The perfect South Florida car. Now all I need is the $65,000.00 to buy it. And the $1000.00/month to maintain it. Oh well...

Wishing and Hoping

2009-02-17T11:40:00.001-05:00

Here is Ben looking at a C Class sedan. If he wins the Lottery he is going to buy this car. Of course, he doesn't buy Lottery tickets, so I guess he won't be getting a bright shiny new Mercedes-Benz any time soon.

View From The Heights

2009-02-17T11:37:00.001-05:00

This morning my buddy Ben and I stopped at the bright shiny new Mercedes-Benz dealership right down the street from where we live. This is a view of the front of the place. Very nice. Very pretty. Very lacking in customers.

Object of His Affection

2009-02-14T07:42:00.000-05:00

Turns out, the peacock wasn't guarding my car, he was looing after his mate. The peacock is in the foreground and toward the back of the picture to the left is his peahen. Isn't love grand? And on Valentine's Day too. Ahhh.

Car Guard

2009-02-14T07:31:00.001-05:00

When I left Green Cay and got to my car I discovered it was being guarded by a peacock.

Walk A Mile

2009-02-14T07:24:00.000-05:00

This panoramic shot shows the boardwalk that loops for about a mile and 1/2 around the wetlands. It is a great way to observe what Florida looked like before civilization hit. It is also a good way to get some exercise. Much better than walking beside the road and inhaling exhaust fumes and much safer, too.

Tranquility

2009-02-14T07:18:00.000-05:00

Just a picture at Green Cay natural area. The name says natural, but Green Cay is actually a water treatment facility. It used to be a farm but was donated to the state to be used for nature preservation. It is wonderfully successful. http://www.pbcgov.com/waterutilities/waterfacts/green_cay.htm

Natural Beauty

2009-02-14T06:59:00.000-05:00

Another shot of Green Cay. There is a white bird, I think a heron, in the middle of this picture. It is really easy to get pretty pictures here, the plants and animals are so beautiful.

More Green Cay

2009-02-14T06:54:00.000-05:00

Here is another shot of Green Cay. There are a few birds in the central area of this picture.

Green Cay Panorama

2009-02-14T06:33:00.000-05:00

This is a picture I took at Green Cay Natural Area in Boynton Beach, Florida. It is a panoramic shot made by combining three pictures taken with my Motorola/Kodak cell phone camera. The stitching together of the three pictures into one is done automatically by the camera.

2007-12-26T20:55:00.000-05:00

Another shot of the public beach in Delray Beach, Florida on Christmas Eve day, 2007.

2007-12-26T20:54:00.000-05:00

This is what the public beach in Delray Beach, Florida looked like on Christmas Eve day 2007.

2007-12-26T20:46:00.000-05:00

A little more Christmas cheer for you. This is what Santa looks like when he is visiting Delray Beach, Florida.

2007-12-26T20:43:00.000-05:00

As seen on the beach in Delray Beach on December 24th, 2007
Some of these are really quite large. If you look closely, you can see a person in both the bottom left and bottom right corners of the picture. Compare them to the size of the kites.

2007-12-26T20:39:00.000-05:00

This is the little Christmas tree in my apartment. It even has an electric train at the base.

2007-12-26T20:29:00.000-05:00

This is the gingerbread house and tree that I build from kits. They will be eaten right after the first of the year.

My Little Corner of Paradise

2007-09-14T20:04:00.000-05:00

My apartment is on the second floor straight ahead.

Reflections

2007-02-05T21:06:00.000-05:00

Just a shot of a bird and its reflection.

A Little Guy

2007-02-05T21:02:00.000-05:00

This is a very young alligator. It is only about three or four feet long. You can tell it is a youngster because it still has its stripes.

A Big Guy

2007-02-05T20:58:00.000-05:00

This alligator is about seven or eight feet long. I think I have seen this animal in other parts of the park on other occasions.

Feed Me!

2007-02-05T20:54:00.000-05:00

This guy flew up and sat on the railing of the walkway about six feet from me. He looked at me and made a growling sound. I didn't know if he wanted fed or wanted me to get out of his territory. In any case I did not like the idea that he was tame enough to get that close.

Getting Ready to Flower

2007-02-05T20:50:00.000-05:00

Just a water lily bud. I don't know how long it takes them to bloom, but here is one on the way.

A Loving Couple

2007-02-05T20:45:00.000-05:00

I went back to Wakodahatchee two days ago to see if anything had changed. Actually, lots of things had changed. This pair of very large birds have moved in. The male, on the right, flew to the shore after I took this picture. His wing span must be between three and four feet. I really think they are beautiful.

A Very Blue Bird

2007-01-13T20:51:00.000-05:00

This is a picture of a blue bird. I have no idea what kind of bird it is, I just thought it was pretty. I guess I should get a book and figure out what all the different birds I see are named.

The Tower I Used

2007-01-13T20:46:00.000-05:00

This is a shot of the tower I used to take the previous picture. This shows the wetlands from the catwalk level. As you can see, the wetlands are still some four or five feet below the catwalk. I guess that is to keep the tourists safe from the snakes.

Daggerwing Wetlands Natural Area

2007-01-13T19:53:00.000-05:00

This is a view of Daggerwing Wetlands Natural Area in West Boca Raton, Florida. There is a tower there that I climbed and took this picture.

Cabbage Palm Trees

2007-01-09T16:53:00.000-05:00

This picture was taken with the camera in my cell phone. It is only a 1 megapixel camera, but if you have something pretty to take a picture of, any camera will do. This picture was taken at Green Cay Wetlands natural area in western Boynton Beach.

A Fungus Among Us

2007-01-05T16:03:00.000-05:00

Although it is very dry here, it seems that a colorful fungus has managed to grow on a dead tree limb. I guess, I don't really know what it is, it is just pretty.

Saw Palmetto

2007-01-05T12:49:00.000-05:00

Rosemary Scrub contains remnants of Florida scrub habitat - one of the oldest and rarest natural communities in Florida. It is estimated that less than 2% of the original scrub in Palm Beach Country remains.

Plants and animals have to be tough to live in a scrub community. There is little shade, hot temeratures, and dry, nutrient-poor soils. The ground cover consists of small trees and shrubs such as sand live oak, sand pine and saw palmetto. A small area of scrubby flatwoods borders the scrub. Taller trees such as the South Florida slash pine grow here along with the scrub plants. The scrub community covers 12 acres (86%) of this site.

A Little Splash of Color

2007-01-05T12:47:00.000-05:00

In March 1995 the County purchased the Rosemary Scrub for $443,000. The Florida Communities Trust provided $187,407 in state Preservation 2000 matching funds for this acquisition.

What Scrub Looks Like

2007-01-05T12:46:00.000-05:00

After World War II, development of the area accelerated. Residential subdivision were built adjacent to the site in the 1950s. With the construction of Interstate Highway 95 in the mid-1970s, this island of wilderness was completely surrounded.

Give Me A Sign - Rosemary Scrub Natural Area

2007-01-05T12:40:00.000-05:00

This is a sign near the enterence to the Rosemary Scrub Natural Area near Lake Worth, Florida. I quote from this sign several places in this blog entry.

The 14-acre Rosemary Scrub natural Area is a small piece of what was once a large area of scrub habitat located between Lake Worth and an inland lake/marsh system comprised of
Lake Osborne and the former Lake Webster.

It was relatively unaffected by human activity throughout the early 1900s. In the 1930s, construction of the E-4 Canal one-half mile to the west drained Lake Webster and lowered water levels in Lake Osborne.

Little Purple Pods

2006-12-10T17:32:00.000-05:00

I have no idea what kind of a plant this is, but the seeds sure are pretty. They were among the few brightly colored objects I saw it this area. I saw lots of dog tracks, so that probably explains why I didn't see any animals.

From Little Acorns...

2006-12-10T17:27:00.000-05:00

On the right is an Oak tree, from which this area gets its name. I am pretty sure it is an Oak tree, because the ground under it was covered with very small acorns.

A Few Flowers

2006-12-10T17:22:00.000-05:00

Since it is December 10th, there aren't many plants in bloom. These are some of the very few I saw today. It has been a very dry fall here in South Florida, so there are lots of brown leaves on plants.

Down the Gray Cement Road

2006-12-10T17:18:00.000-05:00

It's not the Yellow Brick Road, but it is paved. Lots of Saw Palmetto plants around. And ferns. Also Poison Ivy. Stayed away from the ivy! Still very peaceful and quiet.

A Shady Place

2006-12-10T17:13:00.000-05:00

This is the view you see as soon as you walk into the natural area. It says on the sign it is a shady place, but the sun was shining pretty brightly when I was there today. It was about 2:30 PM when I took this shot.

Other Side of Sign

2006-12-10T17:00:00.000-05:00

This side of the sign tells of the various kinds of animals found here, or not, and also shows a map of the path through the area. The sign also states that no pets are allowed. As I was leaving a princess pulled up in her VW, got her dog out and proceeded to walk the animal in the natural area. I guess that is why I didn't see any animals while I was here...

2006-12-10T16:55:00.000-05:00

Today I went to a very small natural area near where I live in Delray Beach. It is called the Delray Oaks Natural Area. It is only about 24 acres very near Congress Avenue, a very busy highway. I have driven past this area at least 1000 times in the past three years and never knew it was here. This is a sign at the enterance to the area showing some of the plants and animals to be found here.

Turtle Parking Lot

2006-05-21T17:24:00.000-05:00

When I got back around the circle, I saw that the stump had attracted a bigger crowd. To my eyes, there are seven turtles here now.

A Blue Bird

2006-05-21T17:23:00.000-05:00

Not a bluebird, but a big bird that is mostly blue in color.

Couple of Locals

2006-05-21T17:21:00.000-05:00

Here are two more residents of the park.

Who's Nest?

2006-05-21T17:19:00.000-05:00

Could this be some bird's nest, or was it blown here from somewhere else? It is about three feet in diameter.

Cooling Off

2006-05-21T17:17:00.000-05:00

Here is another bird cooling off. Sorta looks like something from Karate Kid.

Birds Nesting

2006-05-21T17:15:00.000-05:00

There are a whole bunch of birds in this picture. Not all of them are obvious, and in some cases, aren't even visible. But they are there.

Bigfoot

2006-05-21T17:12:00.000-05:00

This is another bird I saw here today. I hope he isn't fully grown. Look at the size of the feet on this guy! And yellow too.

Fireflag

2006-05-21T17:10:00.000-05:00

This is fireflag. It is just one of the plants that grows here.

Sabal Palm

2006-05-21T17:08:00.000-05:00

Another picture of the Sabal Palm tree. These have a sign in front of them saying this is the State tree.

Slash Pine

2006-05-21T17:07:00.000-05:00

The sign says these are Slash Pine trees. Again, I have to take their word for it.

Live Oak

2006-05-21T17:05:00.000-05:00

The sign says this is a live Oak tree. I guess I will have to take their word for it.

Swimming Turtle

2006-05-21T17:03:00.000-05:00

The sign says there are four kinds of fresh-water turtles in the park. I have no idea which kind this is, but it was swimming and came up for air just below where I was standing.

Bird & Nest

2006-05-21T17:01:00.000-05:00

Here is a more wide angle shot of the bird. You can see his/her nest just below.

Preening

2006-05-21T16:58:00.000-05:00

Another bird preening. It looks to me like he is sitting in a pine tree.

Pretty Tree

2006-05-21T16:55:00.000-05:00

Sure have no idea what kind of tree, but it sure is pretty. Just the perfect shape on the water's edge.

State Tree of Florida

2006-05-21T16:52:00.000-05:00

These are Sabal Palm trees. The Sabal Palm is the state tree of Florida, or at least that is what it said on the sign.

A Bird and Three Turtles

2006-05-21T16:48:00.000-05:00

When I took this picture, I didn't realize there were turtles in the viewfinder. There are three of them on the stump to the right.

Remember, you can click on any photo to enlarge it. If you click on the picture again after you have enlarged it, it will get bigger still. Use the back arrow key to return to the blog.

The Bulrushes

2006-05-21T16:44:00.000-05:00

OK, this is bulrush. I guess this is where Moses was found. Well, this is the same stuff that was growing where Moses was found. He wasn't found in Florida. At least I don't think so. It was a long time ago.

Another Resident

2006-05-21T16:42:00.000-05:00

Here is another bird I saw today. Whatever kind it is, it is pretty noisy.

Preening His Feathers

2006-05-21T16:40:00.000-05:00

Sure believe this is a male bird, so I am not being sexist when I say "his" feathers.

Too Hot For This Guy

2006-05-21T16:37:00.000-05:00

Temperature was only 87 degrees F when I was in the park today, but it seems it was too warm for this guy. He/she has wings extended to dissipate heat.

Duck at Rest

2006-05-21T16:35:00.000-05:00

One of the waterfowl that live in the park. The green stuff is a benifical plant that keeps the alge growth down.

Broad View of Wetlands

2006-05-21T16:33:00.000-05:00

A broad view of what you see when you first enter the Wetlands. I was on the wooden boardwalk that circles through the park.