# What did you do?



## Dark Knight (Aug 22, 2010)

Maybe a change is needed and want to encourage you to post your vacation or weekend trip pics. I will not be posting more pics in the DK's Yak Adventures thread. Maybe a Mod can delete that one or move the pics/post to this one. One way or the other :bio:

My most recent trip took me to Silver River in Lynne,FL. The river is fed by 550 millions gallons of water from the Silver Springs and there is a theme park where the springs are. Sparkling-clear water, 72F~74F year round is part of the habitat for lots of wildlife. Anyways...here are some pics of my recent 8 miles roundtrip to Silver River.

Gator in a log







Scenic view






Anhinga


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## Dleg (Aug 22, 2010)

I didn't take any "vacations", but I did hit the islands of Palau, and the island of Rota (a little closer to home) for work.

Me on my one, rainy day off in Palau, lunch at a small beach in the Rock Islands:






A sunken Japanese fishing vessel, downed by American aircraft during WWII:






The island of Rota in the Marianas Islands:






The ruins of an ancient Chamorro village on Rota:






A class portrait. I gave a 2-day workshop to certify people in construction site erosion control The class installed this silt fence on the last day, before taking the exam (feel free to criticize the materials - we had to work with what was available. But, it was installed properly!!)


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## DVINNY (Aug 22, 2010)

Awesome pics DK and Dleg.

We went to Disney about a month ago. Was very hot, but kids had a great time. We stayed at the Nickelodeon Suites, and the kids liked that better than Disney.


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## Supe (Aug 22, 2010)

Went to upload a pic that was 80kb, but it won't let it attach...


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## ElCid03 (Aug 22, 2010)

Dleg you really do live in a freaking cool place!

Mind the unexploded ordinance though....


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## Dleg (Aug 22, 2010)

You mean this stuff?











(cheating - this was from last summer)


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## roadwreck (Aug 22, 2010)

Perfect timing. I just got back from vacation yesterday. I'll try and post some pics tomorrow if I have time.


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## ElCid03 (Aug 22, 2010)

Dleg said:


> You mean this stuff?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


That's a lot of C4!


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## wilheldp_PE (Aug 23, 2010)

I'm going to Virginia Beach the week of Labor Day. I can't wait. I went on this same trip with a bunch of friends from college last year and it's a friggin' blast.


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## RIP - VTEnviro (Aug 23, 2010)

Took a trip to the Canadian Maritimes a couple months back...


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## snickerd3 (Aug 25, 2010)

we are thinking about an extended weekend trip this coming spring, once mini-snick is eating solid food full time and weaned. so these posts are some good ideas.

those are some nice pics from all. My sister would love the lighthouse one VT took.


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## RIP - VTEnviro (Aug 25, 2010)

I'm fond of that one too. Pretty much all pictures taken one PEI come out awesome. It's so beautiful there. If I had to do that trip again, I'd spend a lot more time there and skip a few things we did. Maybe next year.

We're doing an extended 5-day weekend in the Smoky Mtns in October. I'm really looking forward to that. Hiking, camping, rafting, and maybe a bluegrass show.

And I get to add 2 or 3 more states to my list.


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## roadwreck (Aug 25, 2010)

better late than never, but here's a few photos from my vacation


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## Dleg (Aug 25, 2010)

Nice pics, roadwreck, but where is that? I don't believe you ever said.


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## roadwreck (Aug 25, 2010)

Dleg said:


> Nice pics, roadwreck, but where is that? I don't believe you ever said.


Punta Cana, Dominican Republic


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## Dleg (Aug 25, 2010)

Looks like a nice beach!


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## Dexman PE (Aug 25, 2010)

Went to Vegas in June with some friends (sent the kiddos to the grandparents, wife stayed home). Nothing really photo-worthy done/seen as I spent most of my time in the poker rooms. But, the views of the wife once I got home are a different story...

Aw shucks, don't have any pictures... :dunno:


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## chaosiscash (Aug 26, 2010)

VTEnviro said:


> We're doing an extended 5-day weekend in the Smoky Mtns in October. I'm really looking forward to that. Hiking, camping, rafting, and maybe a bluegrass show.
> And I get to add 2 or 3 more states to my list.



Sounds good. I'm sure you got it planned out, but let me know if you need any info. My wife and I spend a fair amount of time there (we live about 30 min away). Be warned, the park is super crowded in October, especially on the weekends. If you need to drive from where you are (smokemont? elkmont? cades cove?) to your trailhead plan for plenty of time and try to leave early. Also, there are a lot of stimulus road projects going on this summer (which were needed) that have several of the roads closed. I would guess they should all be done by Oct, but you might want to check the website a few days b/f your trip just to make sure. Have a good trip.


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## Ble_PE (Aug 26, 2010)

roadwreck said:


> better late than never, but here's a few photos from my vacation


That's my kind of vacation! Awesome pics!

I like the Corona inspired pic at the end. Is that a Presidente beer?


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## RIP - VTEnviro (Aug 26, 2010)

chaosiscash said:


> VTEnviro said:
> 
> 
> > We're doing an extended 5-day weekend in the Smoky Mtns in October. I'm really looking forward to that. Hiking, camping, rafting, and maybe a bluegrass show.
> ...


Thanks! I was surprised when reading up on things that Great Smoky is the busiest NP by a long shot. I always thought it would be Grand Canyon or Yellowstone.

We're camping in Cosby, TN. It sounded like one of the quieter campgrounds in the park and was tent only.

We have a half day rafting trip down the Pigeon River lined up, but other than that don't have any firm plans.

I am curious what there is to do around there on a rainy day if hiking is out. Suggestions would be appreciated.

If anyone is planning a fall trip to New England, I'm here if you have questions.


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## roadwreck (Aug 26, 2010)

Ble_PE said:


> roadwreck said:
> 
> 
> > better late than never, but here's a few photos from my vacation
> ...


Yup. Good eye.

The resort we stayed at was all inclusive, including alcohol. Which was nice, but the ONLY beer they had was Presidente. It's decent beer, but by the end of the week I was ready for something different. I didn't drink much beer on the beach anyway, it gets warm waaaaaay to fast. Mixed drinks were a much better choice for beach drinks. They would bring drinks right down to you, or if you didn't feel like waiting the beachside bar was only 100 feet away.







This is actually a view of the beach from the bar, not a bad place to sit either


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## Ble_PE (Aug 26, 2010)

That was the only beer they had at the place we went in the Dominican as well. Our place had it on tap so I took a 32 oz insulated mug and had it filled at the bar. That kept the beer cold enough while I was sitting on the beach, but then again I didn't really give it a lot of time to warm up either!


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## roadwreck (Aug 26, 2010)

Ble_PE said:


> That was the only beer they had at the place we went in the Dominican as well. Our place had it on tap so I took a 32 oz insulated mug and had it filled at the bar. That kept the beer cold enough while I was sitting on the beach, but then again I didn't really give it a lot of time to warm up either!


This place had it on tap too. Actually, the only place you could get it in the bottle was from the mini-bar in the rooms. So to take that picture we had to carry two bottles of beer down from our room to the beach.

There were a number of people who were using insulated mugs on the beach. We could have done that too I suppose, but I didn't see the point in traveling with an insulated mug and buying one just for the week seemed a little silly. As it was I'm glad I didn't go that route, it meant I tried a few other drinks that I probably otherwise wouldn't have. And it meant I had to burn a few extra calories walking to the bar and back a little more frequently (I could have waited for the servers to come around but I was to impatient for that). Somehow I actually came back from an all you can eat, all you can drink resort a few pounds lighter than when I arrived. Don't know how I managed that, but I'm alright with it.


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## RIP - VTEnviro (Aug 26, 2010)

I always end up losing a couple pounds on vacation. Between lots of outdoorsy stuff, meals at odd times, etc. I'm always a little lighter.

We usually just stop at a grocery store each morning and get stuff for breakfast and lunch, so it's fatty to eat out every meal. We either cook dinner at a campground, or stop for a hot meal somewhere.


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## snickerd3 (Aug 26, 2010)

VTEnviro said:


> chaosiscash said:
> 
> 
> > VTEnviro said:
> ...


There is always Dollywood.

The Ripleys Aquarium in Gatlinburg was actually really cool. Lots of things I've never seen before, or just on discovery channel. The neon poisonous frogs were cool.

We didn't go, but there is a zipline adventure through the mountains/trees that looked fun.


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## RIP - VTEnviro (Aug 26, 2010)

> The Ripleys Aquarium in Gatlinburg was actually really cool. Lots of things I've never seen before, or just on discovery channel. The neon poisonous frogs were cool.


I saw that in a tourism guide and it looked sweet. But we have a big aquarium in Boston so I'd probably only go if the weather sucks.

I saw one of those neon deadly frog exhibits at the Mystic Aquarium in CT. They're really cool. Mystic is a great place to go for a weekend.


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## chaosiscash (Aug 26, 2010)

VTEnviro said:


> Thanks! I was surprised when reading up on things that Great Smoky is the busiest NP by a long shot. I always thought it would be Grand Canyon or Yellowstone.
> We're camping in Cosby, TN. It sounded like one of the quieter campgrounds in the park and was tent only.
> 
> We have a half day rafting trip down the Pigeon River lined up, but other than that don't have any firm plans.
> ...


Cosby will be quieter. The only downfall is having to drive through Gatlinburg if you want to get to any of the trailheads off 441, Roaring Fork, or Cades Cove. As far as stuff to do on a rainy day, it just depends on what you like. Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge are both very, shall we say, commercialized. Like snickerd mentioned, there is a Ripley's Aquarium in Gatlinburg, as well as a lot of other indoor activity stuff you can go do, for a cost. In my opinion, Dollywood is a great place if you have young children, but for a couple in their 20s to 30s with no kids, it doesn't hold a lot of appeal. However, lots of people seem to like it, so maybe I'm just jaded. Pigeon Forge is also home to a large number of clothing outlets. If the weather's bad, they'll be packed with people shopping.

If you like to gamble, there is an Indian Casino in Cherokee, NC, on the other side of the park. Not my thing, but it gets a lot of traffic. Another option is to ride to Asheville, NC. Its about an hour drive away, and it is home to the Biltmore House, which is a huge estate build by the Vanderbuilt family a long time ago. You can tour it, and its actually pretty cool, but I seem to remember it being kinda pricey.

I realize I haven't given you many suggestions for rainy day activities, but for me the appeal of the area is the park itself. The good news is, weather here changes pretty quickly, so odds are if you get rained on one day it will be nice the next. There are some great hikes. I highly suggest Rainbow Falls, and I have heard that Ramsey Cascades is great (I haven't done it yet, but its on the list for this fall). Expect Laurel Falls, Grotto Falls, Clingman's Dome, and Cade's Cove to be the most crowded areas.


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## snickerd3 (Aug 26, 2010)

chaosiscash said:


> Cosby will be quieter. The only downfall is having to drive through Gatlinburg if you want to get to any of the trailheads off 441, Roaring Fork, or Cades Cove. As far as stuff to do on a rainy day, it just depends on what you like. Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge are both very, shall we say, commercialized. Like snickerd mentioned, there is a Ripley's Aquarium in Gatlinburg, as well as a lot of other indoor activity stuff you can go do, for a cost. In my opinion, Dollywood is a great place if you have young children, but for a couple in their 20s to 30s with no kids, it doesn't hold a lot of appeal. However, lots of people see to like it, so maybe I'm just jaded. Pigeon Forge is also home to a large number of clothing outlets. If the weather's bad, they'll be packed with people shopping.


expensive is an understatment for gatlinburg. They prefer you walk around town or take their buses, so parking was like $5-10 depending on where you found a spot, no street parking. The aquarium was like $25/person.


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## Chucktown PE (Aug 26, 2010)

VT, I would definitely hit up Asheville and the Biltmore VT. From what I know about you (you really like goatse, you use placemats, and you're an engineer of some sort  ) you'd like Asheville. It's a hippie town, and the Biltmore is spectacular.


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## Dark Knight (Aug 29, 2010)

Was in the water twice this week-end. Friday kayaked the Rock Springs Run/Wekiva River. Not a good day for pics since it was cloudy and wildlife was hiding.

Saturday my wife asked me to take her to the Econlockhatchee River, just three miles from our sub-division. She wanted to see eagles and big gators. We can say 1.5 of the two goals were meet.

Here is a pic...






We saw three gators but only one was cooperative and posed for pics. The other two did slide to the water as soon they sensed us. None of them was the big gator we saw on our previous visit here.


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## frazil (Aug 29, 2010)

Chucktown PE said:


> VT...From what I know about you (you really like goatse, you use placemats, and you're an engineer of some sort  ) you'd like Asheville.


:lmao: VT - I don't know what that says about you...or Asheville!

edit: Or me! I like you _and _Asheville!


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## RIP - VTEnviro (Aug 30, 2010)

It says that: 1. I'm a pervert, 2. At lesat I'm a neat pervert, 3. I'm technically inclined yet socially awkward.

We're staying in Asheville the last night since it's partway back to the Charlotte airport, and it's a lot quicker to pack up and get out of a motel room than it is to close up camp, not to mention it will give my gear time to dry.


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## Chucktown PE (Aug 30, 2010)

VTEnviro said:


> It says that: 1. I'm a pervert, 2. At lesat I'm a neat pervert, 3. I'm technically inclined yet socially awkward.
> We're staying in Asheville the last night since it's partway back to the Charlotte airport, and it's a lot quicker to pack up and get out of a motel room than it is to close up camp, not to mention it will give my gear time to dry.



I was wondering if anyone was going to comment on that.



> it will give my gear time to dry


 That's just beggin for a perverted comment.


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## RIP - VTEnviro (Aug 30, 2010)

I never even mentioned tent poles...


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## Dark Knight (Sep 5, 2010)

Paddled the Silver River, again, yesterday(September 4th). A great day for at the river and a great view of the real Florida. For the first time had great chances to take pics of big gators and did it. Here is a sample...






Saw another, bigger than this, but the pics did not come out well because the lack of good light.


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## maryannette (Sep 5, 2010)

Nothing special for this weekend, but we had a neighborhood get together tonight. Everybody brings something to cook on the grill. We had thick pork chops marinated and grilled. YUMMY. Good margaritas, too.


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## Dark Knight (Sep 5, 2010)

mary :) said:


> Nothing special for this weekend, but we had a neighborhood get together tonight. Everybody brings something to cook on the grill. We had thick pork chops marinated and grilled. YUMMY. *Good margaritas, too.  *


What is more special than good margaritas? :winko:


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## RIP - VTEnviro (Sep 6, 2010)

mary :) said:


> Nothing special for this weekend, but we had a neighborhood get together tonight. Everybody brings something to cook on the grill. We had thick pork chops marinated and grilled. YUMMY. Good margaritas, too.


My wife hates ham, bacon, sausage, etc. So she basically equates any sort of cured pig meat to all pork in general. Which sucks, because I love fresh pork.

I took a day trip to Cape Ann yesterday and meandered along the shore for a while. We had a picnic lunch in a shady area, and when the wind picked up, it was actually cool. I forgot how pleasant it can be not to be hot all the time.

Today will be mini-golf followed by lunch at an Indian place we like. We're keeping it low key this long weekend since we are going away the next one.


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## cement (Sep 6, 2010)

we mostly stayed home this weekend and relaxed, but we did make a quick day trip to hike up the Arapahoe Basin ski area.

Here is a picture from the North Pole looking down on the top of the chairlifts with Keystone, Breckinridge and Lake Dillon in the background:




and here is a panorama of Montezuma Bowl:


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## Dark Knight (Sep 6, 2010)

cement said:


> we mostly stayed home this weekend and relaxed, but we did make a quick day trip to hike up the Arapahoe Basin ski area.
> Here is a picture from the North Pole looking down on the top of the chairlifts with Keystone, Breckinridge and Lake Dillon in the background:
> 
> View attachment 3613
> ...


Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet lusone:


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## Dleg (Sep 6, 2010)

Nice.... I'm really missing Colorado summers this year. I don't know why.

A friend of mine posted pictures of his climb up Long's Peak last week on Facebook. I think that's what got me started. Then, my son begged for a slideshow of our last Colorado trip, which was 2 years ago, and had all kinds of great Colorado summer stuff in it.


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## ElCid03 (Sep 6, 2010)

Spent the weekend in Raleigh, NC. A very cool place to hang out.


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## cement (Sep 11, 2010)

Fall has come to Colorado, the elk are waking us up in the morning with their bugling and stirring up the dogs. We hiked over to the clubhouse last weekend and saw a douglas fir tree that was stripped of bark and branches 8 feet above the ground and knew that there was a big bull around that had been rubbing his antlers there. This morning there were two young bulls (spikes) that were being chased by the big bull in our back yard. I attempted an elk call (from the safety of the deck) and they looked at me briefly. When the bull came I tried to get his attention and he completely ignored me, prompting the wife to call me an elk poseur.





the big guy looked like he had 6 points on one side, 5 on the other.

I'm going to be careful gardening later.


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## Dleg (Sep 11, 2010)

Don't bend over, at least. That's a big boy.


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## Dark Knight (Sep 11, 2010)

cement said:


> View attachment 3630
> Fall has come to Colorado, the elk are waking us up in the morning with their bugling and stirring up the dogs. We hiked over to the clubhouse last weekend and saw a douglas fir tree that was stripped of bark and branches 8 feet above the ground and knew that there was a big bull around that had been rubbing his antlers there. This morning there were two young bulls (spikes) that were being chased by the big bull in our back yard. I attempted an elk call (from the safety of the deck) and they looked at me briefly. When the bull came I tried to get his attention and he completely ignored me, prompting the wife to call me an elk poseur.View attachment 3629
> View attachment 3628
> 
> ...


Daaaaaaaaaannng!!!!!!!!!


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## Dark Knight (Sep 11, 2010)

Pics of my trips this week-end.

Hontoon Island Loop...







Blue Spring State Park


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## Dark Knight (Sep 26, 2010)

Not being too active lately due to multiple things going on but had the time to go out this week-end.

Friday went to Haulover Canal. It was windy and very choppy. Not a good day to be in that body of water. For the first time in five trips, no manatees and no dolphins....bummer. Lot of avian life in the island/sanctuary.






Saturday went to Blue Springs State Park because my wife asked me. She wanted to see manatees and we, of course, did not see any. But had a good time


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## mizzoueng (Sep 27, 2010)

Took mini-mizzou and wifey to the Transportation Museum since it was "get in free" weekend. Mini-mizzou was more interested in walking on the tracks than the huge trains, but it was still a good time.

Later Saturday we met up with mini-mizzous godparents and wifey and godmother played tennis while we watched. Mini wasn't interested and wanted to run around on the court, which led to meltdowns when he couldn't get in.

Yesterday we FINALLY got a new mattress set. We had been living on one that my Granny had since 1990 and I've had since college. It was broken down, ultra soft, and needed replaced. The new mattress was my birthday present, being delivered today, so a good night sleep tonight!


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## Sschell (Sep 27, 2010)

I spent all weekend on the couch... I'll post the pics later.


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## Dark Knight (Sep 27, 2010)

sschell_PE said:


> I spent all weekend on the couch... I'll post the pics later.


Ehrrrr...what were you doing at the couch? The pics may be not safe to be seen at work.

:tardbang:


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## Supe (Sep 27, 2010)

Took a trip to Logan's Steakhouse. Stunning, I know!

The bigger "trip" was the fact that we went to "celebrate" one year of being tortured by dating MIAF.


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## MA_PE (Sep 27, 2010)

Supe said:


> Took a trip to Logan's Steakhouse. Stunning, I know!
> The bigger "trip" was the fact that we went to "celebrate" one year of being tortured by dating MIAF.


Supe: Your relationship with MIAF and Junior is a lot more than I'd call "dating". Congrats on the anniversary and I hope it continues to be a good thing for all three of you!


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## Sschell (Sep 27, 2010)

Dark Knight said:


> sschell_PE said:
> 
> 
> > I spent all weekend on the couch... I'll post the pics later.
> ...


good point... I did go a bit overboard with the Funyuns for a while there.


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## ElCid03 (Sep 27, 2010)

Spent Sunday on the couch....reacted to the flu shot yuck!


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## Ble_PE (Sep 28, 2010)

We went to the beach last week and ended up having absolutely perfect weather. Mini ble loves the ocean and now my days of relaxing on the beach are officially over because I have to spend so much time in the water with him or playing in the sand with him. We had a blast though!

The view from our balcony:

Mini-ble ready for the beach:


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## Chucktown PE (Sep 28, 2010)

Which beach did y'all go to?


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## Ble_PE (Sep 28, 2010)

Chucktown PE said:


> Which beach did y'all go to?


We went to Oak Island, NC. It's about 30 miles south of Wilmington. It's a very nice beach that's peaceful and quiet.


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## snickerd3 (Sep 30, 2010)

Ble_PE said:


> We went to the beach last week and ended up having absolutely perfect weather. Mini ble loves the ocean and now my days of relaxing on the beach are officially over because I have to spend so much time in the water with him or playing in the sand with him. We had a blast though!
> The view from our balcony:
> 
> Mini-ble ready for the beach:


super cute sunglasses!!


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## Dark Knight (Oct 3, 2010)

Kayakes at Cañaveral Sea Shore and Juniper Creek.

Here are a couple of pics from. The first from the Cañaveral National Sea Shore and the second from Juniper Springs...


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## cement (Oct 3, 2010)

hiked Mt. Democrat near Alma, CO. 14,148 ASL. That is one democrat that is not easy!


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## RIP - VTEnviro (Oct 4, 2010)

I hiked the same 6 miles I do every Sunday on a gray morning where it was in the 40s and windy. We'll skip the pics this time.

I'm not too impressed by the colors here so far. The summer was real hot and dry, than heavy rain and wind last week just took a lot of them down.


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## mizzoueng (Oct 4, 2010)

beer fest. It was awesome. The homebrew club rocked again and gained 'Best Brewery' honors again (3rd year in a row).

We had a sand sculptor make a small display while everyone was watching. If I can figure out how to upload to the site I will.


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## Dark Knight (Oct 10, 2010)

At the Banana River, near Kennedy Space Center. Pretty close from where the Space Shuttle is prepared for the missions.


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## cement (Oct 11, 2010)

awesome picture DK, but I had to fix the text



Dark Knight said:


> At the Banana River, near Kennedy Space Center. Pretty close from where the Space Shuttle is *WAS* prepared for the missions.


see we can't afford to advance technology we need to buy votes extend unemployment

ok, sorry. I'll go back to the politics room.


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## Supe (Oct 11, 2010)

Saturday, we had our first annual NC Malibu Racing meet. Had about 15 members of the forum show up, and I think 10 cars. Ended up taking home the "Fastest ET" award by a fair margin, and got some cool swag from some of our sponsors. Also had the opportunity to royally piss off a '68 Mustang owner (after losing, he blew right past the time slip lady, loaded the car on the trailer and left), which is always fun.

I did volunteer my services as photographer for the even as well, and a couple of the photos will make it into the 2011 calendar. It was TOUGH, as we were in direct sunlight all day, and there was seemingly no good angle for any shot. Here's one of the calendar shots for my friend Bill's car after some Photoshopping some flaws out of his paint, brightness, and saturation.


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## Master slacker (Oct 11, 2010)

Nice picture. I've always liked TT2's on most any car. Nice color, too.

I spent this past 3-day weekend with family mostly. On Friday, Mrs. MS, mini-MS, and MIL went to the zoo and rode on the train. We spent a good 2 hours there... much longer than we had expected since mini-MS was doing VERY well. Beautiful day, too, I might add.

On Saturday, I "modified" my daily driver '92 Tracer with a manual OD engagement switch. Haven't had OD in over a year and finally got around to buying / installing that $3.99 + tax switch. Towards the end of the OD engagement last year, the car would go in/out/in/out/etc... of OD until it settled on one or the other. It finally stopped doing that altogether. Now I am in control, not the silly ECU.

On Sunday, Mrs. MS, mini-MS, and I went to my parents' house to spend some time with Grandma. Another fantastic day for mini-MS. Did a little work for mom and she got to play with her grandson. Just a good day.

Fantastic weekend in my books.


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## Supe (Oct 11, 2010)

Speaking of grandmas, MIAF-in-law was visiting this weekend and finally goes home today, thank God. Whenever she's around, junior is HORRIBLE. MIAF's mother absolutely can't say no to anything, so she's up all night, jumping around, ripping toys out left and right, etc. I had her in tears a few times when she was getting out of hand and I had to keep her in check. Tonight it's back to Supe's rules.


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## Sschell (Oct 11, 2010)

Supe said:


> Tonight it's back to Supe's rules.


for some reason I am picturing you wearing black leather chaps when you say this.

I am going to have to drink heavily tonight to remove this image now that it is seared into my brain.


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## FLBuff PE (Oct 11, 2010)

sschell_PE said:


> Supe said:
> 
> 
> > Tonight it's back to Supe's rules.
> ...


I hate you. I'll need a double.


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## Supe (Oct 11, 2010)

I'm hairy, too. Especially my ass. Does that help?


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## Chucktown PE (Oct 11, 2010)

My little brother drove down from Charlotte this weekend. We went to go catch some shrimp out in the harbor. We ended up catching about 36 quarts Friday night and pretty close to 48 quarts on Saturday night. All in all I sent him home with 19 lbs of headed shrimp and I kept 18 lbs. Our freezers are now filled with about 50 lbs of shrimp.


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## Sschell (Oct 11, 2010)

Fed-ex me a few lbs.


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## Supe (Oct 11, 2010)

19 lbs? That would get me through an afternoon.


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## Chucktown PE (Oct 11, 2010)

Supe said:


> 19 lbs? That would get me through an afternoon.



You like the shrimp I take it?


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## Supe (Oct 11, 2010)

Chucktown PE said:


> Supe said:
> 
> 
> > 19 lbs? That would get me through an afternoon.
> ...



Mmmmm, scrimps!


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## Sschell (Oct 11, 2010)

It was the heads that got me going... I love good head....

shrimp head you perv... cummon!


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## Ble_PE (Oct 14, 2010)

Mrs. Ble and I spent the last 6 days or so down in FL sightseeing around the area that the potential job I posted in the rant room would be in. The company was wanting me down Monday-Wednesday to meet with some folks, so I felt like that was the best time for us to see the area together. We had a good time and got to see some good friends that moved to Miami last year, so it was a good trip. We'll see what happens on the job front...


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## RIP - VTEnviro (Oct 14, 2010)

^I flew in an out of your fair airport there in Charlotte Ble. Spent an extended Columbus Day weekend camping in the Smokies, and that was the cheapest place to fly into.


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## Supe (Oct 14, 2010)

Did the TSA agents say anything to you about your private bits? (They have the full body see-through scanners in Charlotte.)


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## RIP - VTEnviro (Oct 14, 2010)

^No, but when I got home and unpacked, I got the little notice that the TSA opened up and inspected one of my checked bags. We repacked the last night, and put all the dirty laundry from 3 nights of camping, hiking, rafting, etc. in one bag and the clean stuff in the other. They looked through the dirty one, serves them right. I hope they enjoyed the undies I wore hiking for 8 hours.


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## Sschell (Oct 14, 2010)

^I bet those guys come across some real gems that put your luggage to shame....

for example, on the rare occasion that fudgey does not throw away his pants when he is traveling.... "well, I guess these are salvageable, I'll wash them when I get home"


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## RIP - VTEnviro (Oct 14, 2010)

I just imagined a plane ride sitting next to the Fudgeman, yikes.


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## cement (Oct 14, 2010)

Ble_PE said:


> Mrs. Ble and I spent the last 6 days or so down in FL sightseeing around the area that the potential job I posted in the *rant room* would be in. The company was wanting me down Monday-Wednesday to meet with some folks, so I felt like that was the best time for us to see the area together. We had a good time and got to see some good friends that moved to Miami last year, so it was a good trip. We'll see what happens on the job front...


eh?


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## Ble_PE (Oct 15, 2010)

cement said:


> Ble_PE said:
> 
> 
> > Mrs. Ble and I spent the last 6 days or so down in FL sightseeing around the area that the potential job I posted in the *rant room* would be in. The company was wanting me down Monday-Wednesday to meet with some folks, so I felt like that was the best time for us to see the area together. We had a good time and got to see some good friends that moved to Miami last year, so it was a good trip. We'll see what happens on the job front...
> ...


Well, that's what the room is called now. When I first posted the thread, it was the secret room/rant room.


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## Dark Knight (Nov 6, 2010)

Yesterday, November 5th, took advantage of my free Friday and went to Haulover Canal. Was there early, 10:15AM since it was the scheduled launch of the Discovery. The launch was supposed to happen at 3:04PM and NASA moved it to November 30th @ 4:05AM. Bummer.

Anyways had a great time watching manatees, dolphins and lots of birds.

Here are two of the best pics from yesterday...












The dolphin pic is the best I was able to shoot. As hard as I tried to time the jump and/or when it surfaced to breath it was useless. Ended up with tens of fin's pics.


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## snickerd3 (Nov 8, 2010)

DK, not sure what kind of camera you are using to get those shots, since you are in a kayak, but if you got a filter to take care of the excess sunlight...those pictures would definitely win photo contests left and right.


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## Dark Knight (Nov 8, 2010)

snickerd3 said:


> DK, not sure what kind of camera you are using to get those shots, since you are in a kayak, but if you got a filter to take care of the excess sunlight...those pictures would definitely win photo contests left and right.


OK...I am reading. You said filter. Can you expand on that please?


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## Supe (Nov 8, 2010)

Can't see the pics, but if you're getting some haze and glare in your photos, a circular polarizer can help quite a bit. Not really something you can throw on a point and shoot camera, but readily available for SLR's.


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## RIP - VTEnviro (Nov 8, 2010)

Photography is a hobby I'd love to get into once I've got some disposable income.

Most of my vacations involve scenic landscapes and wildlife, and I always get sooo jealous of the folks with the fancy camera set-ups while I fart around with my point and shoot. I was this close to pushing someone over a boat into 39 degree water when we were whale watching in AK. By the time I saw the whale breach, all I got was it splashing back into the water. This dude musta snapped off 7 pics before I even turned mine on. UGH!!!


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## snickerd3 (Nov 8, 2010)

Supe said:


> Can't see the pics, but if you're getting some haze and glare in your photos, a circular polarizer can help quite a bit. Not really something you can throw on a point and shoot camera, but readily available for SLR's.


polarizer...thats the term I was looking for.


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## Supe (Nov 8, 2010)

VTEnviro said:


> Photography is a hobby I'd love to get into once I've got some disposable income.
> Most of my vacations involve scenic landscapes and wildlife, and I always get sooo jealous of the folks with the fancy camera set-ups while I fart around with my point and shoot. I was this close to pushing someone over a boat into 39 degree water when we were whale watching in AK. By the time I saw the whale breach, all I got was it splashing back into the water. This dude musta snapped off 7 pics before I even turned mine on. UGH!!!



Canon 7D fires at a rate of 8 FPS 

Pair that up with a 70-200 f/4L IS lens, and you've got a killer whale tale setup!


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## Dark Knight (Nov 8, 2010)

The first one was a Stylus Tough-6020, an Olympus, for the underwater pics. Shortly after we started kayaking bought the Olympus SP-800UZ. We were taking lots of birds pics that did not make us happy. Too far. The 800UZ has a 30X optical zoom.

Wanted to buy my wife a digital SLR camera but she fell in love with the 800UZ. So far so good but next year will probably buy her a the SLR for Mother's day. That is the way to go to take good outdoor pics.


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## Dark Knight (Dec 26, 2010)

I had an unusual Christmas Day. It was the first time in ten years we spent the day alone, with no family visiting us. Usually Mom or my In Laws are here. Last year my Mom and my sister with her daughters and husband were at home. Not this year.

My wife was down and at 10:00AM I told her: Let us go out to the water...and to the Wekiva River we went. What a way to celebrate Christmas Day. Big gators and lots of birds and other wildlife. Here is a sample...

Belted Kingfisher...






Special Duo...


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