This is the Barcelona

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The Market In Barcelona...Great Stuff.

When we visit any city or country for the first time, Fran and I always search out the nearest or best Market. Here is what we found in Barcelona! Pictures tell a far better story than I can.

Entrance to the market in Barcelona, Spain

Meats, meats, meats

Fruits

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I think that I saw Baydog here!

Seafood stall, as far as you can see.

One Monger after the other.

Sashimi anyone.

This market took up a whole city block.

Back Home From Europe

Well, Frannie and I are back from our trip to Europe, it was a great experience but we are exhausted. Here is a tease for you until I am able to put together a slide show of pictures that best represent our trip.

Saint Peter's Square and Basilica, Rome Italy

ISAAC moves away from the Keys

Good news for the folks in the upper Keys, on the Florida Bay. Isaac was just close enough to create some anxiety but not much damage, thankfully. 

GMZ031-281430-
FLORIDA BAY INCLUDING BLACKWATER AND BUTTONWOOD SOUNDS-
430 AM EDT TUE AUG 28 2012

...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT...

.TODAY...SOUTHEAST TO SOUTH WINDS NEAR 20 KNOTS AND GUSTY EARLY...
DECREASING TO NEAR 15 KNOTS IN THE AFTERNOON. BAY WATERS ROUGH
EARLY...BECOMING A MODERATE CHOP IN THE AFTERNOON. SCATTERED SHOWERS
AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS.
.TONIGHT...SOUTHEAST WINDS NEAR 15 KNOTS. BAY WATERS A MODERATE
CHOP. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS.
.WEDNESDAY AND WEDNESDAY NIGHT...SOUTHEAST TO SOUTH WINDS 10 TO 15
KNOTS. BAY WATERS A LIGHT TO MODERATE CHOP. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND
ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS.
.THURSDAY...SOUTHEAST WINDS NEAR 10 KNOTS. BAY WATERS A LIGHT CHOP.
SCATTERED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS.
.THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT...EAST WINDS NEAR 10 KNOTS. BAY
WATERS A LIGHT CHOP. ISOLATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS.
.SATURDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT...EAST WINDS NEAR 10 KNOTS. BAY WATERS A
LIGHT CHOP. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS.

Close call...Isaac moves into the Gulf of Mexico

Past Key West, now the storm is expected to pick up speed until it makes landfall.

A glancing blow to the Keys

This is a Blog about personal experiences.

"Trolls, flamers, meanies, vicious, not nice, unkind, rude, inconsiderate, nasty, whining, bitching, moaning bastards; where there are humans, you will find humans who seem to have more than their share of these personality traits. Blogging is no exception.
Even the most non-controversial blogs, like this one, is the target of the blogging thug, mean spirited bloggers and commenter's who just have to say nasty things when they can, for whatever reason in which they want to revel."

This Blog as stated previously, is about my personal experiences. Most of the information is a direct result of my winter in the Florida Keys, granted, there are many Blog posts that include other areas of my life, that is the Beyond. Twice I have received a mean spirited comment from individuals that don't know Jack of which they speak. My advise to those people is this, keep your comments to yourselves unless you wish to engage in an intelligent discussion, in that case, I have included my E-mail address so you can communicate your concerns. Luckily, I have only received any negative comments from one source, whose identity is know to me.

Thanks to those of you who send me encouragement and intelligent information in the form of comments or E-mail. Unbelievably, my Blog has been viewed almost 34,000 times, much more than I ever expected when I started this endeavour. I guess that I should not let only two negative comments spoil my fun, so I won't. I look forward to posting more of my life in the future and having fun all the while.

"There is little difference in people, but that little difference makes a big difference. The little difference is attitude. The big difference is whether it is positive or negative."

Charley

Wood block Print of Puffin

How did I do that?

Wood Block print of the first Puffin I bought from Marshall back in the Sixties.
I conspired with the Artist Russ Miller, with whom I taught, we both worked on the original.
We sold these to Catboat owners, changing the name for each boat was not difficult.

Anatomy of naming a boat...painting that is!

I contacted a gentleman named John yesterday and inquired about the cost of having my boat name custom painted on the transom, after a very short few minutes,  the deal was sealed. John came back today with his trusty paint set and applied, what I call, a great job of free hand painting to my boat's transom.

The name is Puffin, the letters are 4" High and the length is 24", shading included. Here is John at work captured in various stages of the job. Great job and worth the very reasonable price.

From start...

Applying the Shading

Puffin

Finis

DUCK BOAT WORLDS TODAY

Yes, it's that time of the year again, Duck Boat Worlds hosted by the Mantoloking Yacht Club. Get to the Club or get out onto the water and enjoy the action. Great weather is expected for the event!

Each year scores of little Duck Boats assemble on the Barnegat Bay to race, have fun and help to preserve a class  of sailboat that was very popular many years ago.
Peter Kellogg of Bay Head is the driving force behind this preservation, way to go Peter!

Good news for the Mid-Atlantic Coast, bad news for Key West and the Gulf

Two  storms in the Atlantic, one was poised to hit the Mid Atlantic States, now it is predicted to head East and not be a threat to us. On  the other hand, Tropical Storm Issac is heading toward Key West and then into the Gulf of Mexico. I hope it looses strength along it's path, I need a home when I head to the Key's in Oct.

A change of direction is predicted, phew.

Key West might be fortunate enough to avoid this Storm